


Adoration

by Bittersweetchaos



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gore, NSFW, Reader-Insert, Sex, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2019-11-16 14:00:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18095702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bittersweetchaos/pseuds/Bittersweetchaos
Summary: Following the tragic death of your parents, Sniper takes you under his wing training you in the ways of sniping. Growing up, your feelings towards him develop from admiration and fondness to something much more intense. Both of you are torn between the innocent father-child relationship of the earlier years, and the newfound lust for each other.





	1. Shed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there.  
> This is my first time writing a fanfiction, so please forgive me if it isn’t amazing. This is a Sniper X Reader pairing, and it will be a bit of a slow burn but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait for you.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: Reader will be underage in early chapters, and there will be NO sexual/romantic relationship between her and Sniper during that time as I do not condone pedophilia in any way, shape, or form. There will be smut in later chapters, however this will be once the reader has reached the age of 19. 
> 
> This story is set in Australia, it does not follow the canon plot of the game. Sniper is merely an assassin who takes on jobs to earn a living. Not sure how long this fanfiction will be, I’m guessing no more than 10 chapters.

Your head throbbed from the sweltering heat. The stench of blood and excrement was heavy in the air. You knew should make you wretch and heave with disgust, but you were beyond that sort of reaction at this point. Your wrists and ankles ached, skin torn and bruised from the struggle against your bindings, a struggle that you no longer had the energy to continue. 

How long had it been? Surely at least a day by now. Long enough for you to tune out the noisy buzzing of flies who had congregated here in your garden shed to feast upon the pool of blood that had now ceased leaking from your parent’s remains. The memory of the previous night still replayed endlessly in your head, as if it had been engrained into your skull. 

 

<><><>

 

Your mum had just finished tucking you into bed and began walking towards your bedroom door when you were both startled by a loud crash downstairs. The sound of multiple pairs of heavy boots on wooden floors resonated throughout the house. 

“On ya knees, or aye’ll shoot ya bloody head off!” a man’s voice harshly announced. ‘He’s talking to dad!’ your mind screamed. 

Your mum jumped into action, guiding you to hide in your closet. “Darling, I need you to be as quiet as a mouse. Everything is going to be ok” she whispered, although her reassurance didn’t provide much comfort the tremble of her usual melodious voice and terror in her eyes betrayed her words. You sat in the darkness, hugging your knees tightly to your chest as tears streamed down your face. Your throat burned and ached from the whimpers and sobs you were so desperate to let out. 

“What do you want from us? Money? I’ll give you anything, just leave my wife and child alone!” your dad’s frightened voice plead. You heard your mum make her way towards the stairs, intent on reaching the telephone you had in the living room of your house. You lived on a farm, your nearest neighbour was acres away and there was no hope of anyone hearing all the commotion. The phone was her only option for contacting authorities. You strained your ears, tuning out the sound of your pounding heart to continue listening to the events that were unfolding. “Smart man. You continue to cooperate, and we’ll let you and ya family live to see anotha day, understood?” the intruder gruffly demanded. “Y-yes of course” your father shakily replied. 

A scream tore through the air. “Found this little minx tryna call the coppas” a new voice spat. “Let her go damnit!” your dad yelled with determination. There was a moment of silence. “Find the brat” the first voice growled. “On it” a third voice came, followed by hasty steps through the living room, and up the staircase. You trembled violently as you heard the footsteps reach your room, as it was the first room after the stairs. They came to a halt at your doorway, leaving only the sound of your mother’s whimpers and your fathers reassuring voice distantly downstairs. 

Thud thud thud. 

The footsteps start up again as the intruder began tearing apart your room looking for you. You heard the shattering of the porcelain cat statue you had received for your birthday, along with other belongings as they fell from atop your dresser as it was roughly shoved aside. More loud noises and crashes rattled your eardrums as the intruder continued searching. ‘He’s going to find me. He’s going to find me and he’s going to hurt me and my family’ your mind screamed, causing you to clutch your legs even tighter. 

Sure enough your closet doors forcefully swung open, revealing a dishevelled rough looking man. His eyes were bloodshot, as though he hadn’t slept in an eternity and he had a thick black moustache which framed his thin-lipped mouth. “There you are, you little runt” you could smell his fowl breath as he leaned down to grab you roughly by the upper arm and yanked you up. He proceeded to half-lead half-drag you towards the stairs, you kicked and screamed desperately trying to free yourself from his vice grip but you were no match for the stocky man. Your mum’s cries became louder again at the realisation you had been found. You tripped and staggered down the stairs, repeatedly being yanked upwards again by the man until eventually you had reached the bottom and were led through the living room and to the entryway where your mum and dad kneeled, arms tied behind their backs with pistols aimed at the backs of their heads. 

Along with them stood two more men, one of them lanky and tall, wearing a white button-up which was covered in dirt and missing a few buttons. He had dark bags under his eyes which contrasted his firey orange hair, and a look on his face that reflected mild unease. The other had a smirk plastered on his face that sent chills down your spine. It was a kind of smirk that you had never encountered before, and you hoped to never again. His dark blonde hair was once slicked back, but now was tussled out of its place, and his eyes were icy blue and so sharp they almost appeared white. The stocky man behind you was quick to tie your wrists and ankles together rendering you immobile. 

“Now the whole family’s here” he merrily announced. “Please! Leave them alone and just take whatever you want!” your dad pleaded with the blue-eyed man again. He grinned a toothy grin “but of course”, he looked up at his friends “let’s get ‘em outta the way” he nodded his head towards the door. The stocky man quickly slung you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and the other two men began forcefully guiding your parents out of the house. 

“That shed ‘ll do” the blue-eyed man’s voice came again, referring to the small tin shed that sat a few metres away from your house where your dad kept a few of his smaller tools and pieces. The shackle of the padlock hung looped through the holes that held the door shut to the shed, but your father had left it unlocked for ease of access since you lived so rurally the likelihood of someone travelling here to steal some tools was extremely low. Your mother and father were shoved forcefully onto the cold concrete floor of the shed, and you quickly followed suit. You lay there stiffly on your side as you watched your mother scoot herself backwards against a workbench, and your father defiantly pull himself into a kneeling position in front of the men glaring up at them. The blue-eyed man looked down at him and after a moment’s contemplation smirked, raising his gun so it pointed just over your dad’s shoulder. 

BANG! 

The sound of the gun seemed to shake the walls of the shed itself, piercing your ears with such intensity that they rang noisily in your skull causing you to wince and cringe inwards. Slowly you looked up to see what had been shot, only to be met with the limp corpse of your mother. Blood was streaming from a wound in her head. You let out a scream, violently thrashing yourself backwards until your back slammed against the cold metal wall of the shed. Your father was cut short mid-protest as he too met the same fate as your mother. Your head was spinning. How had this happened? How had everything gone so wrong when only an hour ago everything was normal? “You… you said you wouldn’t hurt us!” you yelled at the blue-eyed man, tears streaming down your face. He looked down at you with an apathetic look on his face, and quirked an eyebrow. 

“I lied” he simply stated. 

Your body froze. He turned away and began walking back to the house. You heard his voice in the distance “kill the brat.” The stocky man followed after him, leaving behind his lanky partner. He walked into the shed and in the pale moonlight entering the doorway you could see beads of sweat forming on the pale skin of his forehead. His hand shook slightly as he raised it to where is gun was holstered at his side. His hand hovered there for a moment as he continued staring at your small body cowering against the wall. He let out a breath as his arm slumped. “Keep yer mouth shut kid” he muttered and turned to the door, exiting and locking the shed behind him. 

‘So he wouldn’t kill a kid but he sure as hell would abandon one in a shed. Coward’ you angrily thought to yourself. As his footsteps grew distant, the reality of your situation set in and you lay there on the ground, choking on silent sobs. 

 

<><><>

 

You continued to stare at nothing in particular, your entire body limp with exhaustion. You were drowning in sweat, and your parents’ blood had long since found its way across the floor pooling around you leaving deep red and brown stains on your white nightgown. You hadn’t the energy nor the will to move, so you simply lay there waiting to join your parents in the afterlife. 

 

<><><>

 

His mint green caravan squeaked slightly as it came to a halt in front of the two-storey farmhouse, pulling a small dirt cloud forward with it. He had been following the trail of 3 ex-convicts with ties to some dangerous gangs in this area for two days now, and he was sure he was hot on their tail. They had a big bounty on their heads, meaning they were probably going to give him more trouble than his average jobs. Unlucky for them, he was one of the most talented snipers around. His impeccable aim had quickly helped him make a name for himself in the dark underbelly of Australia. 

The bushman examined the surrounding area, the door of the farmhouse had been kicked in revealing a cluttered entryway with multiple bootprints littering the wooden floorboards. What really caught his trained eye was the barely noticeable deep brown layer that coated the concrete slab just beneath the door that belonged to the tin shed next to the house. He had grown accustomed to the sight of blood through his yellow-tinged glasses over the years.

The three ex-cons were certainly gone at this point, however he still cautiously pulled his SMG from its holster and proceeded to approach the shed. He made quick work of the lock, shooting it off the door and letting the remains fall to the dirt. The door groaned loudly and shuddered as he pulled it open. He was met with a wall of stench causing him to instantly turn away and gag. The stench had invaded his nostrils and mouth, he could practically taste it. The bushman spat unceremoniously on the ground, as though that could help purge his tastebuds of the putridity. “Jesus bloody Christ” he muttered to himself. He yanked a brown bandana from his back pocket and tied it onto his face in the hopes of blocking out at least some of the scent and proceeded to look in the shed. 

It was as he thought. Two adult corpses lay with their arms tied behind their backs in a pool of mostly dried blood. Considering the summer heat, the bodies were still relatively fresh so they couldn’t have died too long ago. It confirmed to him that he was in fact close to catching up with these ex-cons. 

Suddenly something else caught his eye, something in the corner of the shed- no, someone. He moved closer, it was a small child. Surely no older than 10. She was laying on her side, arms and legs bound, big (e/c) eyes staring blankly up at him. Her (h/l) (h/c) hair was matted with dried blood and if it wasn’t for the rapid and shallow rise and fall of her chest he’d have thought she too was a corpse. He wasn’t the most empathetic man, but seeing a child in this state evoked a searing rage inside of him towards the monsters responsible for this. This job was no longer just about money, this made things personal. 

He bent down and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. 

“Aye’m here to help ya, little dingo.”


	2. Unclean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this fic I will be primarily referring to Sniper by his canon surname ‘Mundy’ because I feel like referring to him as ‘Sniper’ does not quite fit in with the more realistic(?) tone of the story. Please give me your thoughts on this, if you’d rather he be referred to as ‘Sniper’ let me know.

The fresh air was cleansing, even as dry and hot as it was. Fresh air mixed with the complex yet subtle aroma of earth, caffeine, and the hint of cigarettes that emanated from the bushman. It was strangely comforting. From your place slumped on his back as he carried you, you examined the exterior of your home from over his shoulder. Its once comforting presence was now dominated by an eerie feeling of dread and emptiness. As you entered the entryway it became apparent that the house had been rummaged through and torn apart by the intruders. Being a humble family that worked a farm, it was unlikely they found much of value during their search. You entered the living room, and he knelt near a couch. 

“Time ta let go koala” he stated. You unwrapped your arms from around his neck and lowered yourself to sit on the couch. He stood up and proceeded to walk into your kitchen and out of your sight. You felt vulnerable again and quickly wrapped your arms around yourself as a means of comfort. There was some clanging and banging coming from the kitchen as the bushman looked through cupboards and the pantry to try piece together a plate of food for the child. After some searching through the mess left by the intruders, he managed to source some bread, butter and vegemite with which he made a sandwich. On his way back to the living room he filled a cup with some water from the sink and upon arrival place both on the side table next to you. 

For a moment you were so overwhelmed you didn’t know which to go for first, but after a moment’s hesitation you grabbed the cup and chugged the lukewarm water so fast you almost choked a little. The man took a seat on the couch across from you, instantly reclining back into a relaxed posture, eyes still fixed on your small frame through his yellow-tinted glasses. 

“Ya got a name, little dingo?” He asked after a moment’s silence. Your eyes instantly darted up at him and you momentarily stopped chewing your food. You hesitated. “I’m (y/n)” you stated simply through a mouthful of food. It was at this point you took the time to get a good look at him. He was tall, even seated his legs looked long. He seemed to have blue eyes, though it was hard to tell through his glasses. His skin was tan, and he adorned a slight shadow of stubble on his long but sculpted face. He looked to be in his mid to late 20’s. “Right. How old are ya (y/n)?” He continued. By this point you had finished your sandwich, you remained seated. It’s not like you had anywhere to go anyway. 

“Shouldn’t you tell me your name?” you questioned, still not completely trusting of the stranger in front of you. “Huh?” He had clearly not been expecting a question in return. “Mum says-“ you stopped and took a deep breath. “Mum said it’s the polite thing to do when getting to know someone” you continued. Noticing your rewording, he decided not to press further. “Aye’m Sniper” he responded. “That’s not a real name” you stated matter-of-factly. He held his gaze on your now slightly determined (e/c) eyes but said nothing. “I told you my real name” you pointed out. After another moment of silence he sighed and looked at the floorboards. “Mundy.” You seemed content with his honest answer. “But ya keep that to yaself, understood?” he continued. You nodded quickly. 

“I’m nine years old” you finally answered his second question. He nodded slowly, remaining silent. 

‘What the ‘ell am aye supposed to do with this kid?’ Mundy thought. There was no way he was about to abandon a child in the middle of sweet nowhere, but he also still had a job to complete. And he was oh-so close to catching up with these guys. He groaned, scratching the back of his neck as he contemplated his options. You continued to watch him in curiosity. “Aye guess you’re comin’ with me, little dingo” he was audibly exasperated. “Where are we going?” you asked, fear shaking your voice ever so slightly. 

“Those men who killed ya mum and dad? We’re following ‘em.” You squeaked, terrified by the thought of following the one thing you never wanted to see again. “Not to worry, they wont even know we’re close until it’s too late. Ya see, someone wants them dead and it’s my job to make that happen” he explained casually as though he were talking about the weather. “And I can tell my client isn’t the only one wanting them dead” he continued, looking you dead in the eye. 

Your throat felt thick, and you swallowed anxiously. These men had killed your parents, but did you really want them dead? The bulky man who had dragged you carelessly downstairs, bringing you out of hiding and ultimately forcing you to see your parents die in front of you. The coward who couldn’t finish you off, but locked you in a shed with your parent’s corpses leaving you to face the harsh Australian climate. And the blue-eyed man. The monster who orchestrated everything with sick enjoyment. Yes. You wanted them dead. You wanted them to feel the same fear and agony your parents had felt, and you wanted them to never be able to hurt anyone else ever again. Slowly you nodded your head. That was all he needed. 

“My caravan doesn’t have a proper shower. Get yaself cleaned up and packed here, then meet me outside” Mundy spoke as he stood up from the couch and began walking outside. You got up and walked upstairs, it was difficult as you still felt weak but you somehow managed. Once you had reached the bathroom and turned on the shower you wasted no time getting in and letting the lukewarm water wash over you. The flow of water along the ground beneath you quickly turned pink with blood. You made fast work of scrubbing the blood and dirt from your skin and washing and combing the clumps from your hair. The wounds on your wrists and ankles stung slightly from contact with the water. You stood under the stream, despite now being clean you still felt filthy. You grabbed the loofa and scrubbed at your skin again. You kept scrubbing, pressing harder with frustration, but it didn’t change anything. You gave up, turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. 

 

<><><>

You made your way downstairs slowly with a small brown duffel bag packed with some changes of clothes, toiletries, shoes, and other items. You had also packed your cream coloured teddy bear with pale pink bow around its neck which you had named Bobo. You looked around the living room, this was probably the last time you’d ever get to see it. Your heart ached with the memories you had here, but you pushed those feelings aside so that all you felt was a dull numbness. Dragging your feet out of the house was a chore, but you knew you couldn’t stay there. 

Outside you were met with Mundy placing two beautifully red Waratah flowers through the padlock attachment point of the now closed shed door. He must’ve retrieved them from the bushes that were scattered around your property. Your mum loved those bushes. Additionally some gumtree leaves were scattered in front of the door covering the dried blood from sight. You dropped your bag on the ground, alerting the bushman to your presence as tears filled your eyes. He sighed sympathetically, walked up to you and kneeled-down. You were pulled into a somewhat awkward but caring embrace. “Let it out” he patted your back. You cried harder. There was nothing you could do or say to bring them back, they were gone and now you were going to leave them. “I thought I could leave them here. All that time in there I wanted so bad to get out, but now-“ Mundy stopped you “shhshh aye know little dingo. Aye know. But you’ve gotta be stronger than ya’ve ever been now. Make ya mum and dad proud and show them just how courageous you can be”. You sniffled and wiped your eyes with the back of your forearm and nodded, glancing back at the shed. Mundy stood up, grabbed your bag and made his way to his caravan with you trailing after him.

From your perspective the caravan looked huge, however as Mundy neared it you could see that it was a tight fit for the tall man. He opened the door and gestured for you to step inside, you neared the ledge that lined the back of the caravan. It was rather high, reaching just above your navel. You wondered if you had the energy to lift yourself, but before you could move you felt two large hands firmly grip your waist. You stiffened and squeaked as you were lifted off the ground and onto the ledge. A small chuckle arose from the bushman “sorry, didn’t mean ta scare ya” he apologised as he too stepped up into the caravan. 

You assessed your surroundings. To your right was a small kitchenette with a few unwashed coffee mugs sitting in the sink and up a ladder in front of you was a sleeping area with a double sized mattress. The bed was unmade, but even still it looked so inviting to your tired eyes. To your right was a small seating area with two grey bench seats facing one another with a wooden table between them. Above the table was a small window which currently had the dirty curtains drawn. The caravan was adorned with a few posters, magazines, and knick-knacks which really contributed to the homely feel of the small abode. 

Mundy had placed your duffle bag on the table and was now kneeled-down rummaging through a cupboard. He pulled out a rather large medicine box. “Sit” he stated, and so you sat on the edge of the bench facing the kitchenette. He knelt in front of you and gently took your left ankle in his hand and began tending to your wounds. You winced as he wiped it with alcohol and he hesitated for a moment. “Sorry little dingo, if aye don’t do this it’ll get infected and that’ll be a whole lot worse” he explained and continued wiping the wound. He proceeded to do the same with the wounds on your wrists and by the end of it all four of your extremities were bandaged. 

Just then he noticed a red patch on your upper arm where you had rubbed particularly hard with your loofa in the shower. You noticed his gaze, “I feel dirty” you explained, and he understood giving a slight nod. “Aye know that feeling, don’t you worry. It doesn’t last. Gettin’ some rest will help” he assured. He stood up and packed away the med kit. “We gotta hit the road now if we’re gonna catch those guys. You can sleep up there while aye drive. You’ll be safe” he indicated to the bed. You certainly weren’t going to argue with that proposition. You opened your duffel bag and pulled out Bobo. ‘Cute’ Mundy thought, though he certainly would never say something like that out loud. You walked over to the ladder and paused for a moment, Mundy stretch out his hand and you trustingly gave him Bobo. He placed it on the bed above and helped you up the ladder. Once you had settled in he began to leave but was stopped by your small voice. 

“Mundy…”

“What is it, little dingo?” He asked.

“…. Thanks” you said.

He smiled to himself and walked out of the caravan, closing the back door behind him. You were fast asleep, curled up in the sheets before he had even started the engine.


	3. Survival of the Fittest

The caravan was still when you awoke leading you to question if Mundy had driven at all during your sleep, or if you had only slept for a few minutes. These theories were disproved however when you realised the light streaming through the crack of the curtains below was flickering like a flame. You concluded that it must be night time and Mundy had stopped and made a camp fire. He was right about that filthy feeling too, having gotten some rest you felt a little less disgusting. Groggy, yes. Depressed, absolutely. But not completely filthy. You lay in bed for a moment staring at the ceiling and contemplating moving. Eventually you gave in and sat up, your muscles ached as you did so. You were careful to tuck Bobo back into bed and you made your way slowly down the ladder. You slipped your shoes on and made your way out. 

Cool air graced your skin as you opened the back door of the caravan, it was refreshing and helped calm you some more. You sat on the ledge and carefully lowered yourself down onto the dirt ground. Around you the Australian bush was dimly illuminated by the campfire, there didn’t seem to be any manmade structures around, just bushland. There were some distant and some not-so-distant chirps and calls of animals and insects, but you couldn’t see any of them. 

“Ya finally awake” you heard Mundy’s voice beside you. You whirled around to see him sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree in front of the campfire. He was casually leaning forward, elbows rested on his knees and his hands flopped between them. His glasses were tucked away in the pocket of his vest and his hat rested next to him, between his lips hung a half-smoked cigarette. His brunette hair was ruffled slightly from his hat and poked out in odd directions in some places. You nodded quickly, realising that you might have been staring and you slowly approached him. You sat down on the tree next to his hat and stared at the flames of the campfire dancing in front of you. 

“Why do you kill people?” you questioned innocently. Though sudden, he figured you’d ask him something along those lines eventually. He took a drag from his cigarette then extinguished it on the tree beside him. “Well for starters, if ya good at something neva do it for free. Aye have a steady hand and a sharp aim” he began. He thought for a moment then continued “there’s a lotta bad people out there, little dingo, some of ‘em bad enough to piss the wrong person off. That’s where aye come in, for the right price of course”. “So you only do this for money?” you asked. The sniper scratched the back of his neck. “Ya gotta make a livin’ somehow” he explained. 

You both sat in silence for a moment while you thought about what he said. “… Have you ever helped someone, not for the money but because you thought it was the right thing to do?” you looked up at him, the flames of the fire reflecting in your big (e/c) eyes making them almost sparkle. He stared down at you, slightly taken aback by your question. This job had started off as just another paycheque, he’d had some pretty gruelling jobs in the past but none of them were quiet as morbid or emotionally-provoking as finding a child left to sit in the pool of their own parent’s blood. He may be a killer, but he had standards.

“Are ya hungry?” he asked, changing the topic as he got up and walked over to his caravan. You noticed he had changed topic intentionally but decided not to continue questioning him. He didn’t seem like the type of person who was good at talking about their feelings. “Yeah” you replied. He opened the passenger door of his vehicle and rummaged through a bag he had sitting on the floor. He pulled out a water bottle, “catch” he said as he tossed it to you. You clumsily caught it. “Make sure ya drink all of that, we don’t want ya gettin’ dehydrated” he ordered, and pulled out two cans of baked beans and sausages, a can opener, some long pliers, and two spoons. “It’s not 5 star, but it’ll do” he explained as he walked back in front of the fire and began opening the cans. He placed them in the hot coals near the fire and sat back down. 

“Dad used to do this with me. Campfires I mean, near our house. We used to roast marshmallows” you started conversation again. “Ya ever camped out under the stars with him?” Mundy asked, you shook your head no. “Why would we do that when our beds are close by?” you asked and took a big drink from the water bottle. Mundy looked up “issa nice view out here. And the sounds of the bushland are peaceful, nice change from the hassle of everyday life doncha reckon?” He was right, the vast expanse of bushland settled underneath the stars had a strangely calm atmosphere. “I guess I never really looked at it that way. I always thought the bush was scary at night” you replied. “It’s not if ya know what ya doin. Survival of tha fittest and whatnot” he grinned. 

“Survival of the… What does that mean?” you looked up at him quizzically. “Hmm… something like ‘if ya wanna survive, ya gotta be tougher and smarter than ya enemies’” he explained, intentionally describing it in a way that was easier for a child to understand. You remained silent as you pondered the explanation he gave you, eyebrows drawn together in thought as you watched the flames of the campfire scorch the twigs and branches beneath it. 

Mundy noticed the sauce of the cans of beans and sausages began to simmer indicating that the meal was sufficiently heated. Using the long pliers, he removed them from the coals and placed them on the ground in front of where they were sitting. “Let ‘em cool for a moment, aye’m just gonna grab something to wrap around ‘em” Mundy walked back towards the caravan. You stared down hungrily at the cans, your stomach growled in anticipation. Thankfully Mundy returned relatively quickly, holding two rough-looking tea towels in his hands. He wrapped one around on of the cans and handed it to you with a spoon. You gratefully accepted and instantly began devouring the contents. Mundy joined you on the log and began eating, the sounds of the bushland and your noisy eating the only things to be heard.

Eventually your spoon had hit the bottom of the can, leaving you satisfiably full. Mundy wasn’t far off, and collected your can and spoon from you, placing the cans in a trash bag inside his caravan and leaving the spoons in the sink to be washed some other time. He reappeared from the caravan and neared the fire. “Issa about time for me to hit the hay, little dingo, and by the looks of it you’re not completely rested from ya nap earlier either” the dark bags underneath your eyes were a dead giveaway. Now that he mentioned it you did notice just how heavy your eyes were feeling, you guessed the emotional and physical stress of recent had put more strain on your body than you had initially thought. Also, the idea of sitting out here alone at night wasn’t exactly appealing to you. You rose to your feet as he retrieved his hat from where you were sitting and proceeded to kick dirt on the fire extinguishing it so that all that remained was red embers of the remaining wood and ash. You made your way quickly to the back door, Mundy following along behind you. Once again, he helped lift you up onto the ledge and into the caravan as you were still not in ideal shape to be making the small climb. Once you were both inside he shut the door behind you both.

“My apologies, there’s only the one bed. Never really have guests over as aye’m sure ya’d understand” Mundy explained mildly exasperated that he hadn’t quite thought of the logistics of caring for a child in his living situation before taking on the task. “Howeva I do have a sleeping bag you could use. You can sleep on that seat, ya look like you’d about fit. Not the most ideal bed, but it’ll have to do until this job is over” he added. You shook your head “I don’t mind, thank you Mundy” you smiled gently up at him. 

After some arrangement you eventually settled into the plush navy blue sleeping bag. You rested your head on one of the pillows from Mundy’s bed and snuggled Bobo close to your chest. Mundy had removed his vest, shirt and shoes and was now wearing only his dark brown slacks. You could now see more of his tanned skin which displayed scares in some places. Some of them were small and barely visible from where you were laying, and a couple were larger and raised looking like they came from serious injuries. He turned off the light, it was pitch black for a moment and by the time your eyes adjusted to the darkness he was already making his way up the ladder and into his bed. Once you heard him settle down, your small voice broke the silence “goodnight Mundy”. You heard him let out a small chuckle. “G’night little dingo”. And with that, you let yourself doze off to sleep.

 

<><><>

 

You awoke to complete darkness. Frantically you began searching your surroundings for some form of light, it was then that you noticed you were standing in a puddle of liquid. No matter where you walked the puddle didn’t seem to end. Your breathing turned rapid and your mind spun, walking became increasingly more difficult and you found yourself stumbling around as you struggled to remain balanced. The temperature around you began to rise, you lost balance and fell to your hands and knees. Stunned you brought your hands up to your face and examined them. A dim light with no source illuminated your hands just enough for you to see that the liquid was a deep red. Blood. You were kneeling in and surrounded by blood. The temperature around you continued to rise to unbearable heights and you tried to scream but all you could manage was an airy exhale. You tried again and again to scream but sound refused to leave your mouth. You pulled at your hair in frustration and inhaled intensely, and with every muscle in your body tried one last time to scream.

 

<><><>

 

You abruptly sat up in your bed on the bench seat, cold sweat drenching your forehead. You covered your mouth, stifling your panting. Pale moonlight streamed in from the window behind you dimly illuminating the caravan. Your entire body continued to shake as you sat there desperately trying to recollect yourself. Light snores came from Mundy’s bed, you hadn’t seemed to wake him up. You hugged Bobo tightly to your chest in an attempt to calm yourself, but to no avail. You craved the presence of another human to bring your mind back to reality and make you feel safe. 

Quietly you slid off the bench seat and shimmied out of the sleeping bag. Still carrying Bobo with you, you climbed carefully up the ladder and onto Mundy’s bed. He lay there on his back with his legs bent slightly as even his bed seemed marginally too short for his lanky stature. One arm was resting peacefully on his stomach, the other was stretched beside him. You scooched closer to him, sitting you your knees beside him, and gently poked his cheek as you clutched Bobo close to you with your other arm. Mundy let out an alarmed noise and jolted up so he was leaning on his elbow, but upon realising it was just you lay back down on his back. 

“What is it, little dingo?” he grumbled tiredly. “I had a bad dream… Can I please sleep next to you?” replied your tiny voice, still quivering with fear. “Yeah go on then” Mundy replied, too tired to coerce you back onto the bench. He rolled over so he was facing towards the front of the caravan, and so his back was facing you. You were quick to climb under the sheets and snuggle up, so the top of your head rested on his back as you lay in fetal position cuddling Bobo. Feeling your small head rest on his back, the sniper’s heart melted and he half smiled to himself as he let himself drift back off to sleep. It took you a little while longer to completely calm yourself, but with the comforting presence of Mundy right next to you eventually managed to once again slip into a peacefully dreamless slumber.


	4. Headshot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader X Sniper coming soon, I promise.  
> Also don't forget to leave a comment letting me know your thoughts on the story so far, it really helps motivate me to keep writing :)

You awoke from your deep slumber feeling much more rested. Sitting up in the bed you noticed Mundy had somehow already managed to make it out of bed without awakening you. The dim light of the rising sun streamed through the long thin window that ran parallel with the side of the bed. ‘Looks like it’s very early in the morning… maybe no later than 6am?’ you thought to yourself. You heard a noise outside that sounded like someone packing items into the storage unit on the side of the caravan. 

Climbing down the ladder from the bed was much easier for you now, and you made your way outside. As you suspected the sun was still very low over the horizon. Still standing on the ledge on the back of the caravan, you carefully walked to the corner and stuck your head around the side. While you were still asleep it seemed Mundy had packed up camp and made preparations to continue your journey. He was fully dressed in his usual slacks, red shirt, vest, and brown slouch hat decorated with 5 crocodile teeth wrapped around the crown. Despite the low light, he wore his yellow shades on his face. 

“Good morning Mundy” your small voice alerted him to your presence. “Mornin’ little dingo. How’re ya feelin’?” he looked up at you as he closed the storage unit. “I didn’t have any more bad dreams, and my muscles don’t ache as bad anymore” you explained. He began walking towards you “good ta hear. Let’s check out those rope burns of yours”. You stepped back inside the caravan and sat down on the end of a bench seat. Mundy entered, retrieved the med kit from the cabinet and proceeded to kneel in front of you. He placed your dainty foot on his knee and began unwrapping the bandage around your ankle. “’s looking better than yesterday, but aye’m gonna re-wrap it just ta be safe” Mundy said, and began cleaning and re-wrapping the wound with some fresh bandages. He continued to do the same with the rest of your wounds. 

“How long until we catch up with the men?” you asked him. “Well my sources tell me they’ve headed west, towards a small town about three hours away from ‘ere. Aye’m hopin’ with the time we’ve made and the assumption that they’ll be stayin’ there for a day or two, we should catch up with ‘em there” he explained as he continued tending to your wounds. “… And then you’ll kill them?” your voice came quietly. “Aye can’t just go up ta them guns blazing, that’s not how aye like to do things. First Aye’ll locate their vehicle, aye’ve been told issa army green CJ-5 Jeep. Not many of ‘em around here so it’ll be easy to spot. Then aye camp out inna spot where aye have a good view of the car, and wait until they go ta leave. Then aye’ll strike” said as he finished bandaging you and put away the med kit. You nodded your head slowly as you ran the scenario through your mind. “Right, let’s get goin” the sniper stood before you. You stood up and slipped on your shoes, not concerned with changing out of your clothes you had just slept in. 

As you both went to exit the caravan he jumped down and turned to help you off the ledge, but you shook your head “I was able to do this last night, I think I should be ok to get around now”. He half-smiled and stood back as you sat on the ledge and lowered yourself to the ground. It still hurt a little, but it was bearable. After he had seen you make it safely to the ground, he turned and walked to the passenger door of the vehicle. He opened it for you, and you thanked him as you climbed inside. More magazines about survival, cooking, and other topics littered the dashboard and seat along with some old receipts and a red thermos. In one of the cupholders was a black ashtray which looked to be regularly used. It was a little cluttered, but not completely messy. You put your seatbelt on as he walked around to the driver’s side and got in. 

“My dad said doctors have found out cigarettes can kill you” you stated simply. “There are a lotta things that can kill ya, especially when you do the work aye do. Smokin’s the least of my concerns” he grumbled as he put his keys in the ignition and started up the vehicle. “… I just don’t want you to die” your sad voice broke his heart. He placed a heavy hand on top of your head “aye ain’t goin anywhere soon, don’t ya worry about that” he said in a much more tender tone. His words were comforting, but you still wondered if it were a promise he was actually capable of upholding. He turned and reached into the side of his door and pulled out a muesli bar. “Here, get some food in ya” he handed it to you. “Thanks” you responded, and began eating as he pulled away from where the caravan was parked and began the journey west.

About ten minutes into the drive the silence became obvious and Mundy began fiddling with the radio trying to find a station that had half decent signal. He left it on a station that was playing some rock n roll music you had never heard before. Not that you listened to much rock n roll to begin with really. The upbeat music lifted you spirits as you gazed out the window at the Australian bushland. When the sight of the bushland began to lose your interest, you turned your attention to the interior of the vehicle around you. 

You picked up a yellow magazine from the dashboard in front of you entitled ‘Motor Sports’ featuring a black and white image of a race car on the front. You idly flicked through it looking at the pictures of various cars and reading some articles that jumped out at you, though you didn’t understand some of the terminology. “You read a lot?” Mundy attempted some small talk. “Yeah, mum always let me read the books on her bookshelf” you answered, he nodded in acknowledgement. “Ya got a favourite?” he questioned further. You brought your hand up to your hair and played with it as you looked up in thought “… Charlotte’s Web. I like how kind and intelligent Charlotte is, going out of her way to help Wilbur through his fears and help him overcome them” you explained. “Ah, I see” Mundy responded. He had heard of the book, but never read it himself though he did have a general idea of what it was about. 

“What about you, Mundy? Do you have a favourite book?” you asked. “Aye don’t read too many fictional books, I like to stick to stuff that can teach me skills I can utilize. Hence the magazines” he paused for a moment as he thought further, aware that his answer wouldn’t satisfy you. “Uhh but aye guess I found reading about Ned Kelly pretty interestin” he continued. “I’ve heard that name before… he was a very notorious outlaw, wasn’t he? The one that wore all that armour?” you asked. “Yup, that’s the one” he confirmed. “Didn’t he kill a lot of people…?” your eyebrows knitted together in concern. “He did, but he did it for mostly the right reasons. To this day people aren’t entirely sure if he’s a hero or a murderer. Or both. That interests me” Mundy elaborated. You looked up at him and wondered if he was interested by this because felt he could relate to this anti-hero. It definitely seemed possible. 

You turned your attention back to the magazines in front of you. The magazine you had picked up earlier had revealed another one laying beneath it. You curiously picked it up. It was again bright yellow and featured a woman on the front. She was naked with black patterns covering her upper torso and lower body, the bright red text along the top read “Playboy”. Just as you were about to turn the page to reveal the contents of the magazine Mundy noticed what you were reading and jumped. “That one’s not for kids!” he exclaimed quickly as he grabbed the magazine from your hands and stuffed it deep into the door beside him. You were confused “why not?” you asked innocently. “Because aye said so” he grumbled. “Why was she not wearing clothes?” you tilted your head and saw that his face had gone a few shades redder. “Stop askin’ questions” he grabbed another magazine from beside him and shoved it into your hands “read this”. It was a magazine about Australian wildlife. You gave in and dropped the topic, and began idly flipping through the pages of the magazine. 

 

<><><>

 

Your heart jumped at the sight of the small town in the distance. As estimated, the journey took about three hours and you felt every moment of it. You had looked at nearly all the magazines (save for that strange one you weren’t allowed to read), exhausted all the easy topics for small talk, grown tired of the repetitive scenery outside the vehicle, and eventually resorted to just staring out the window at nothing in particular as you let the music on the radio drown out your thoughts. At this point the image of a boring town was a welcome sight, even if it did potentially home the three men who turned your life upside-down. The sun was high in the sky, making the surrounding area appear hot and dry. As you neared the town you could see rows of double-storey shops lining both sides of the road. A post office, a chemist, a motel, a bar and other buildings were among them. 

Before reaching the front of the town, Mundy turned the vehicle away from the main entry and drove beside the town for a bit before eventually turning into a narrow back alley between two tall buildings. “Why are we parking here?” you asked, “we can’t have anyone seein’ us, especially not the targets. Also these buildings are nice and tall, good point to snipe from” he explained as he turned off the truck. He reached for the door but was stopped by the sound of your voice behind him “can I come with?” He thought about it for a moment. “You can come with me while aye set up, so you can see where aye’ll be. After that you come back down ‘ere and stay in the van” he responded “and keep quiet” he added. You nodded your head vigorously. You were keen to get out and stretch your legs. 

You both exited the vehicle and Mundy opened the storage unit on the side of the caravan and grabbed a large duffel bag full of what you assumed was items he needed for the job. However, what intrigued you most was the large black sniper rifle he pulled out and slung over his back. He noticed you staring at it but said nothing. Once he had everything he needed you both walked over to the red brick building beside you. It was four storeys tall and seemed to be some sort of apartment complex. A metal ladder ran all the way from the ground to the top of the building, seemingly for maintenance purposes as none of the apartments had balconies. 

“Ya not afraid of heights or somethin’, are ya?” Mundy turned to you. “No, I used to climb trees a lot back home” you assured him. He thought about how much he used to enjoy doing the same. “Mkay, well just be careful climbin’ this ladder” he looked at you mildly concerned, then began climbing. After he had climbed a few metres above you, you followed him up. It was a bit of a climb and pushed your still-healing body a bit, but it was manageable. Once Mundy reached the top, he turned and helped you up onto the concrete ground. The rooftop was surrounded with a brick half-wall, except for where the ladder entry was. A metal hinged manhole present on the ground confirmed that this rooftop was not accessed by regular people. The area was relatively bare, with only a few crates, and air-conditioning unit, and a shade sail that covered a small corner of the area present. There was a clear view of the surrounding town from here, ‘he chose a good spot’ you thought. 

Mundy made quick work of moving one of the crates to the shaded area, dropped the duffel bag next to him and sat on the crate. His head was just above the wall at this height. You walked up to him and stood a few metres away, watching him do his thing. He pulled the sniper rifle off his back and used the scope to survey the surrounding area. This whole thing was very intriguing to you, and you watched his every movement. 

“There’s the bastard” he finally said, gun pointing in the distance in front of him. “Is it them?” you asked. “It’s their car, they’re still ‘ere” he explained. “Now what happens?” you had no idea how this was supposed to work. “Aye wait” he stated simply. “You wait? For how long?” You were confused. “For as long as it takes them to leave. Could be a few minutes, could be a few days” He responded calmly. “A few days!? Don’t you get bored?” You voice raised slightly in shock. ‘This man must have the patience of a monk’ you thought to yourself. “Ya learn to deal with it. You can head back down now. There’s food in the cupboard below the sink, help yaself. Water from the tap. Aye have a couple more magazines and maybe that book on Ned Kelly layin’ around somewhere in the caravan you can help yaself to. But no touchin the one in the driver’s door, understood?” you nodded in response. Mundy eyed you for a moment “try keep quiet, you know where aye am if ya need me” he added. “Ok. Uhm, good luck” you said, unsure of what you were meant to say and made your way back to the ladder and climbed down.

Since you had the time, you took this opportunity to change into a fresh pair of clothes, discarding the old ones in an almost-full laundry basket that was tucked away in a cupboard next to his wardrobe. You began shuffling through the cupboards looking for that Ned Kelly book Mundy had mentioned, beginning with his closet. Nope, nothing but clothes and shoes in there. You looked in the cupboards under the kitchen sink, food in there, like he said earlier. You weren’t particularly hungry so you closed the cupboard. 

The sink was still full of those dishes… You couldn’t resist. ‘Mumma didn’t raise an animal’ you thought to yourself as you began to fill the sink with warm soapy water and started washing the dishes and placing them beside the sink to dry. You surveyed your surroundings. Like the front of the vehicle, the caravan wasn’t messy, just cluttered. You decided to tidy up while Mundy was busy, figuring that the book would eventually turn up during your cleaning. You organised everything. The kitchenware in the cupboards and drawers was now orderly put away, the magazines you stumbled across randomly were now in a neat pile on the bench to the right of the door, the bed was neatly made, and so on. You sang songs your mother used to sing while you cleaned, you even ended up sweeping the floors and dusting. You had eventually stumbled across the book in the back of a cupboard, however that was now placed on the bench next to the magazines as you proceeded to climb into the passenger door of the vehicle and tidy the front cab. 

It was sunset by the time you had finished to your satisfaction, and orange sunlight streamed in from the open windows of the caravan. You had snacked on food you found under in the cupboards throughout the day and drank plenty of water. You had planned to start cooking some dinner, you knew a few simple recipes your mother had taught you, however you noticed that Mundy didn’t seem to keep too many ingredients for cooking in his van. Perhaps he preferred hunting? You shrugged it off and grabbed the Ned Kelly book and sat down at a bench in front of the table. Having nothing significant left to do, you began reading it. 

You became lost in the pages of this intriguing story, pausing only to turn on the light once the sun had hidden itself over the horizon. You lost track of time and eventually looked up from the book and out the window only to see the pale moonlight shining on the surrounding land. The clock on the wall read 9:00pm, and you wondered how Mundy was doing. You closed the book, being sure to save the page you were on by folding it, and you left the caravan. It was a warm night, the city was relatively quiet and didn’t quite have the same variety of wildlife noise as the bushland did, however you did notice the faint chirping of a distant insect. 

Up the ladder you climbed, and as your eyes eventually peaked over the edge of the floor when you reached the top, you were met with the sight of Mundy, still in a similar position to how he sat when you left. “Hey Mundy, it’s just me” you spoke up before you frightened the man who was deeply focussed on the scope of his rifle. He looked at you quickly, before returning his gaze to the scope “(y/n), is everything ok?” he asked. You noticed that he used your name, he rarely seemed to do that. “Yeah, I just wanted to check up on you. See how things were going” you explained. A warm breeze blew your (h/l) (h/c) hair gently as you neared the sniper. It was then that you noticed his duffel bag was now opened, you could see the wrappers of some snacks discarded near him, packets of bullets, cigarette butts in a small pile, some empty water bottles, and… a jar full of yellow liquid? You opened your mouth, but quickly shut it deciding not to ask. Mundy spoke up “aye haven’t spotted ‘em yet. So not much has changed”. “Was there anything I could bring you?” you asked. He looked at you again, eyebrow slightly raised. “You know how ta make coffee?” he asked. “Yeah, one scoop of coffee mix, a bit of milk, hot water and sugar?” you inquired, listing off how you had seen your mum make coffee in the morning. “Just make it three scoops of coffee mix and hot water, only need it for the energy” he clarified, and you grimaced at the thought of the bitter concoction. “I can do that” you replied. “Thanks little dingo” he smiled and returned his gaze to the scope. Not wanting to distract him any more than necessary, you made your way back down the ladder. 

You placed the kettle on the stove to boil and scooped coffee mix into the red thermos you cleaned earlier that day. Your thoughts returned to Mundy as the water continued to heat up, he was indeed an extremely patient man. How did he do it? You needed to keep yourself busy all day to stop yourself from going crazy, but he seemed completely unfazed by the hours he had spent sitting in that one spot. He did this regularly too, considering it was his job and all. Your thoughts were interrupted by the screech of the kettle. You quickly removed it from the stove and filled the thermos up, making sure to stir it with a spoon before replacing the lid. You placed it into a small bag and slung it over your shoulder, so you still had both hands free to climb the ladder with and left the caravan. Looking up at the ladder once again, you sighed at the thought of having to climb back up, but reluctantly did so anyway. 

As expected Mundy was still sitting on the crate eyeballing the scope of his rifle. This time a lit cigarette rested loosely around his lips, and a cloud of smoke rose up above his head and blew away with the breeze. “Here’s your coffee, Mundy” you gently said and placed beside him on the crate. “Thanks for that, little-“ he stopped abruptly mid-sentence. “Get down” his voice was suddenly as cold as steel. You couldn’t quite process what was happening, but managed to drop quickly to your knees so you were hidden completely behind the wall. You looked up at him, his glasses reflected the pale moonlight so his eyes were unreadable. His usual laid-back demeanour had changed, and now he looked like a predator ready to strike. You remained silent, observing every one of his small movements. He adjusted his gun ever so slightly and took an audibly deep breath.

Bang! 

The sound of his rifle cracked through the air. He released his breath and reloaded so he was ready to fire again in a matter of seconds. An empty bullet shell clanged as it hit the ground. He breathed in again, the end of his rifle moving smoothly as though it were following someone.

Bang!

You were in awe of the sight before you. He remained so calm and focussed as he killed the people who had murdered your family, he made it look almost easy. Seconds passed as you held your breath in anticipation of the next shot. Who was left? The lanky man? The stocky one? Or the one with piercing blue eyes?

Bang!

Finally the final shot of the rifle came, and it no longer mattered. They were all gone. Mundy leaned back, letting the rifle slide onto his lap and his arms hang by his sides. He let out a big breath. 

“It’s done.” 

He stood up and stretched briefly, then bent down and put out his cigarette before he began packing away his items into the duffel bag. He made sure to pick up all the bullet shells and move the crate back to its original position. “No time to celebrate, gotta go confirm they’re dead before people figure out where the gunshots came from” he explained and briskly walked to the ladder. Your legs shook as you stood up, and you struggled to collect yourself enough to follow him down the ladder. 

Adrenaline coursed through your veins and yet it was difficult to actually do something with it. Mundy tossed his bag and rifle onto the floor of the van and climbed into the drivers seat while you awkwardly waddled into the passenger seat and fiddled with the seatbelt trying to buckle it. Eventually you managed, Mundy took notice of your struggle but figured he’d address it later. He didn’t bother to buckle up as he started the van and began driving. It was while driving down the roads of the town that you realised just how far away the men were from the sniper’s stake-out. 

You arrived at the scene, it seemed no one had stumbled across the bodies laying in the small car park yet. Mundy parked the vehicle and turned to you, “stay here” he ordered and exited the caravan. After a moment’s hesitation you decided to ignore his orders and began undoing your seatbelt, there was something inside of you that screamed at you to go and make sure those monsters were dead. Trying to be as quiet as possible, you opened the passenger door and lowered yourself to the ground. Mundy stood over one of the bodies, hands on his hips and back to you. You could see smoke rising above his head, he had lit another cigarette. You tip-toed up behind him until you were only a step or two away from Mundy and the body. The body belonged to the blue-eyed man. His mouth was agape and his eyes were fearful, however they had a dull look to them and no longer held the same intensity they used to. There was a wound in his forehead which was producing a puddle of blood around him. The bodies of the other men were in similar conditions. 

“This is usually the part where aye pay my respects” Mundy turned to you, fully aware of your presence. “However aye think we can skip that part tonight”. You remained silent, still staring at the body. It was strange to think that these men were gone now, and no longer a threat to anyone. Mundy let out a sigh. “Aye’m sorry you had to see this. Didn’t wanna cause you any more trauma or anythin’. We’ll get ya to the nearest city, find you an orphanage. Aye know there’ll be a lotta folk who’d wanna take you into their family” you snapped out of your almost trance-like state and met his eyes. “N-no!” you stuttered. 

Seeing Mundy do his job was… beautiful? It ignited something inside of you, and you felt a newfound determination. You gathered yourself before continuing, “I want you to teach me. I want to learn how to become the predator, not the prey. I want to be tougher and smarter than my enemies. Please, let me stay with you Mundy!” you plead. He stared at you, taken aback by your outburst then closed his eyes and smiled, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth. “Aye knew you had some fight in ya, little dingo” he placed his hand on the top of your head and ruffled your hair. He turned on his heel and flicked his unfinished cigarette off to the side. You remained in your spot as he began walking back to the caravan. Having noticed you hadn’t moved, he looked at you over his shoulder. 

“C’mon little dingo, ya’ve got a lot to learn” he said.

You smiled brightly for the first time since your parents passed, and jogged to catch up with him.


	5. Bullet Shells

Two weeks had passed since Mundy killed those men. You were both finally getting comfortable with one another’s presence, and he had finally given up on trying to make you sleep on the bench seat as you convinced him that it wasn’t a reasonable long-term sleeping arrangement and sleeping next to him helped keep your nightmares away.

“Distance, wind speed, altitude, temperature, spindrift, Coriolis effect, angle. These are all factors that ya have to account for if you’re gonna hit ya target” Mundy listed off as he stood next to you staring off into the distance. It was a hot day, hotter than usual, and there was little to no wind to help cool you down. You were both perched atop a small rocky hill, you lay flat on your stomach with your elbows propping your upper half up as you looked through the scope of the sniper rifle with its stock resting against your shoulder. About 150 metres away were three cans Mundy had set up on a log, each with a cross drawn on it in red marker. It seemed that even the slight action of your breathing made the scope aim far away from them. 

“Ya gotta steady your barrel, relax your arms and try stop ya hands from shaking” he continued. “Easier said than done” you mumbled, still trying to steady yourself. “Ya get better at it with practice. Remember, your target doesn’t even know ya there, so stay calm” he explained. “Now, take a deep breath, and aim as ya do so. Take multiple deep breaths if ya need to. Then when ya ready breathe out and once you’ve paused between breaths shoot” Mundy instructed. You breathed in deeply then slowly released the breath, aiming at the can in the centre. You reached the end of your breath and pulled the trigger. The stock of the gun recoiled against your shoulder and you squeezed your eyes shut at the sound. “Ya gotta keep your eye open and on the target, if ya miss you gotta be ready immediately to try again” Mundy gently scolded. 

You opened your eye and looked through the scope, the left can was now laying in the dirt. “Hey! I hit one!” you exclaimed happily. This was your sixth attempt today, and you had been running through the theory of it for hours. “Was it the one you were aimin’ for?” Mundy asked suspiciously. “… no….” you mumbled. “Then it was a lucky shot, and luck rarely helps ya on the field. Skill you can always rely on” he stated matter-of-factly. You grimaced in frustration, and Mundy noticed this. In the past two weeks you had been training you had yet to hit a target you intended to. “Hey, no one’s perfect at it right away. Ya just gotta keep practicin’ and I know you will. You’re a determined kid, you’ll get there eventually” he squatted and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Right, I wanna try again” you said decisively, a stray strand of hair fell in front of your face and you blew it out of the way. 

You reloaded the rifle and took aim. Mundy placed his hands over yours to help steady them “ok, now aim for the can on the right and breathe in”. You calmed yourself, clearing your mind of everything but the target and Mundy’s voice and breathed in slowly through your nose. “Good, now breathe out” Mundy whispered. You released your breath out through your mouth. Then came his simple instruction; “fire”. You pulled the trigger, and kept your eyes on the target. The right can flew off the tree trunk and into the dirt. 

“Did you see that, Mundy! I hit it!” you looked up at him as your small face beamed brightly, you were absolutely thrilled at your accomplishment. “Good job little dingo, I’m proud of ya” he praised you and gave you a pat on the back before standing up. “Next we’re gonna move the cans much further away” he added and you frowned slightly at the proposition. “Mundy, can we stop for now? It’s getting really hot” you whined. He sighed, “aye guess teaching you to tolerate the conditions you’re snipin’ in is next on the agenda”. “Like how you pee in jars instead of finding a toilet when you need to go?” you asked innocently. His face was annoyed, but he couldn’t hold back the smile forming on his face “I was referrin’ to the heat and cold, but yes ya can’t let that get in the way of ya job either” he mumbled. You looked up at him with wide eyes. “Hey, don’t go givin’ me those puppy dog eyes!” you stuck out your bottom lip as an added measure. He rolled his eyes “fine, ‘ave it your way. Let’s head back” he caved in. “No more usin’ that face though! If you wanna get as good as me you’ll have to do things you don’t always wanna do” he made sure to add, giving you a stern look. You stopped giving him puppy-dog eyes and smiled brightly at him “thank you Mundy!”

 

<><><>

 

Supplies were beginning to run low and you craved a nice warm shower, it was for these reasons that Mundy finally decided it was time to travel to the closest town or city. Up until now you had both been bathing in rivers or lakes which made you feel clean enough, but it wasn’t quite the same as a relaxing shower. You let out a satisfied sigh as the warm water hit your face and steam rose around you. You massaged your aching arm and leg muscles as the heat helped relieve them. As soon as your rope burn wounds had healed enough to take off the bandages Mundy had you training not only in shooting, but physical exercise. He had stressed the importance of being physically fit if you wanted to be the best of the best, and you did as he instructed. He was good at what he did after all, so you trusted he knew what he was talking about. 

You turned off the water and exited the shower. After patting your hair dry with a towel you wrapped it around yourself and entered the bedroom. You were currently staying in a motel, and Mundy had left you alone a few hours ago to go buy some supplies. Bobo sat propped up on the bed, his glass eyes watching you. You flopped on the hard mattress and pulled him in for a snuggle, a small smile spread across your face. You lay there for a moment thinking about the past few weeks you had spent with Mundy. It wasn’t quite as laid back as your life had been beforehand, but something about your training felt… right? 

You had no interest in becoming a farmer like your father, and the thought of being a domestic wife like your mother seemed far too boring for you. You weren’t an ill-behaved child by any means, but you certainly looked for adventure. Whether it was climbing trees and exploring the farm, or simply finding a new hidden spot to read your book, you tried to make life interesting. You released Bobo from your embrace and stood up. You opened the door onto a small balcony where some fresh clothes hung on a foldable clothesline. You were thankful that the motel had a working washing machine guests could use so you could properly wash your clothes rather than washing them in a river or the sink again. Back inside the room you put your clothes on and hung your towel back up in the bathroom. 

Having nothing much to do you sat down on the end of the bed. Just as you were starting to wonder what was taking Mundy so long you heard a knock on the door. “Come in” you called. The person on the other side unlocked the door and entered. Mundy was back, and he was holding a small package wrapped in brown paper. “You were gone for a while, is that all the shopping?” you questioned, confused by the lack of bags. “Aye already unpacked the other supplied into the caravan” he explained as he closed and locked the door behind him. 

“What’s that?” you studied the package in his hands. “This” he handed the package to you “is why shopping took a while longer than expected” he watched you turn the package in your hands. You gently tore open the brown paper revealing a thin gold chain which held three used bullet shells. The bullets used to kill those men. Anyone else receiving this would see it as a rather morbid item to hang on a necklace, however you saw the beauty in this and smiled gently. “Aye don’t want these to be givin’ you any bad memories. When ya look at these I want ya to remember why you decided to become a sniper. Aye want em to motivate ya to work your hardest, and whenever you feel weak remind you that you’re a survivor and nothin’ can bring ya down” he elaborated, but you already knew his intentions. You clasped the item in your hands and brought it close to your chest, then leapt off the bed and wrapped your arms around his waist and squeezed tightly. “Thank you so much Mundy, I will do my very best!” your voice was slightly muffled as you spoke into his shirt, but he understood and patted your back. “Aye’m glad ya like it” he smiled. “Now, you must be hungry”, you nodded into his shirt and he chuckled. “Aye think aye spotted a diner nearby, let’s go grab a bite” he proposed. Your stomach growled at the mention of food and you blushed up at him. “Sounds like a yes to me” he laughed openly. 

 

<><><>

 

Your face felt a little warm from where you were sitting in front of the campfire. You were back in the wilderness, surrounded by the dry foliage of native trees and the chirping and calling of the various creatures that inhabited the bushland. Your arm was extended in front of you, and your hand clasped a long dry stick that skewered a marshmallow being bronzed by the flicker of flames beneath it. Mundy sat a metre behind you on the ground, one of his long legs stretched out in front of him, the other was bent with his arm lazily resting atop it. His hat was resting beside him, and his sunglasses were stored safely in the breast pocket of his vest. His blue eyes watched the flames crackling and dancing in front of him. You removed your stick from above the flames and ate the marshmallow from the end of it, the hot but oh-so delicious sugary goodness melting in your mouth. Having finally had your fill of marshmallows, Mundy had reached that point far before you as his sweet-tooth wasn’t quite as significant as yours was, you stood up and discarded your stick into the bush. You moved away from the fire and sat next to Mundy, legs pulled up to your chest as you wrapped your arms around them and gazed absent-mindedly at the fire. 

You had come to learn over these few weeks that Mundy was a man who preferred the isolation of living by himself in the wilderness to living in a busy town. He was not a ‘people-person’ as some would describe it. It was because of this that you tried not to overwhelm him with your presence, not that you were a particularly social person either. You would choose to lose yourself in a book, which Mundy had purchased a few more of, or busy yourself with training on your own when Mundy seemed to need some down time. Other than these odd moments alone, you both had spent a lot of time together, him training you in sniping and teaching you various survival and hunting methods, on top of the fact that you were both housed by the small space of the caravan. Moments like these, quietly sitting in front of the fire enjoying each other’s company, had been precious to you. You made quite the duo. 

“Hey Mundy…” you started, still intently watching the fire. “Hmm” he let out a sound of acknowledgement. “Can I try driving the caravan one day?” you asked him. “Not until ya older. When your coordination is better” he responded, “I thought you said my coordination with the sniper has been getting pretty good”. “Aye said it was getting pretty good, not that it is pretty good. ‘sides, I don’t think you can even see over the steering wheel yet” he sounded unimpressed. You frowned a little and looked down. “Tell ya what, when ya 15 I’ll start teachin’ ya. Snipin’ and drivin’ are two very different things” his tone softened, the man found it difficult to be entirely strict with you. Your face lit up and you smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and stared at the fire. 

Your body shivered slightly, you hadn’t noticed it had gotten colder until just now. It didn’t go unnoticed by the sniper, as he stood up and walked back towards the caravan to your surprise. He returned with a small blanket and dropped it onto your head. You giggled at the playful gesture. “If ya not gonna move closer to the fire, then ya gotta rug up. Can’t ‘ave ya gettin sick” he sat back down beside you as you removed the blanket from your head and wrapped it around your shoulders snugly. “I wanted to sit next to you” you explained simply. A brief look of shock passed the sniper’s features but was quickly replaced with a soft smile as he reached up and ruffled your hair. He was not at all used to the idea of someone wanting to be near him, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. In fact, he even felt he enjoyed your company. 

You let out a yawn as you rested your chin on your knees and closed your eyes, listening to your surroundings. The crackling of the flames, the soft rustling of trees, the wildlife, and the faint sound of Mundy’s breathing lulled you into a dreamless slumber. 

You awoke the next morning in Mundy’s bed inside the caravan, snuggled up with your head resting against his back as his soft snores reached your ears, and smiled wholeheartedly to yourself.


	6. The Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations for making it this far, you're finally an adult.

10 years later. 

 

It was serene. The yellows, oranges, and purples that painted the sky were picturesque, and the stars were just starting to speckle through the pastel colours. You lay on top of the caravan, legs hanging over the back edge and hands cradling the back of your head. You were exhausted, your body seemed to almost melt into the warm metal roof beneath you. 

You hadn’t slept at all last night, instead you spent your evening laying stomach-down flat on a rooftop, sniper in hands looking through the scope at mostly nothing. You had expected the job to be a quick one, but your target had other plans. Most businessmen would rather rent a dingy motel room for their liaison with their secret lover or hired floozy, fuck them, then return home to their family with the ‘I had overtime at the office’ excuse. This one however, didn’t seem to be expected home that night and instead opted to sleep in the motel, only appearing outside (and in your scope) some time late morning. The copious amounts of caffeine buzzing through your system certainly hadn’t helped you sleep once the job was completely over some time in the early afternoon, after you had collected your payment. It was only now at sunset you were finally starting to feel its effects wearing off and your eyelids grow heavy. 

You were just beginning to doze off when you felt someone gently squeeze your ankle. You sluggishly sat up and looked down at the perpetrator from atop the caravan. Mundy was standing below looking up at you, “sorry ta wake ya. Didn’t think sleepin’ up there would be especially comfortable. Ya hungry?” You shook your head and yawned, “yeah I guess it’d start getting cold in the early morning if I stayed up here. But you’d still carry me to bed, wouldn’t you?” you gave him a cheeky grin “oh, yeah and I could definitely do with some food, thank you Mundy” you added. He shook his head a little and hid a small smile from your sight “getting ya down from up there would be far too much effort, ya not quite as small and light as ya used to be. Nah aye’d just yank ya down by ya ankle”. You snorted at the idea and climbed down from the roof. 

You were thankful that it was Mundy’s turn to cook tonight, if you had to cook in your current state it’d be vegemite sandwiches for dinner. You sniffed the air, whatever the sniper was cooking it smelled good. A black pot hung over the fire he had made, inside seemed to be some sort of meat stew. ‘It couldn’t be beef or lamb, we didn’t buy any of that when we were last in town and there isn’t a farm around these parts’ you thought to yourself, then you realised. “Kangaroo stew” you said aloud. “Right you are, little dingo” he responded. You had quickly grown accustomed to Mundy’s sometimes unconventional ingredients. He was a man who liked to hunt his meals, and out here in the Australian outback kangaroos were at no shortage. At least he managed to make his meals taste amazing, with all the magazines he reads on cooking considered. You used a ladle to scoop some stew into a bowl and cut yourself a piece of bread from the loaf sitting on a stool nearby. Mundy did the same and you both sat down in front of the fire and began eating your meals.

“Ya look bloody tired there” Mundy commented. Your face felt numb with fatigue, you could only imagine what you must look like right now. “I feel bloody tired; his wife didn’t fill me in that she wasn’t actually ‘expecting’ him home last night, so he decided to sleep at the motel. Didn’t see him until morning” you complained in between mouthfuls of food. “So it was his wife that called the hit?” Mundy didn’t sound too surprised. “Yeah, she found out that the nights he claimed he was ‘playing cards with his mates’ were actually spent with prostitutes in motel rooms, she didn’t take too kindly to that” you shrugged, you had taken on a variety of jobs by this point and heard all sorts of reasons for people wanting others dead. This was hardly a new case. “Yeah, aye know how much ya hate the all-nighters” he responded. “But I still do them, don’t I?” you added. “That ya do” Mundy nodded slowly and continued to eat his food. 

“We’re headed to town tomorra mornin’, Will says he’s got a big job for us. Big reward” Mundy spoke looking down nonchalantly at his food. You had learned over the years that Mundy found jobs through a vast network of connections he had with unorthodox people, Will was one of these people, an informant. He gave you jobs for a small cut of the money. You weren’t all too sure where people like Will found these clients, but it didn’t matter if they had the money. It wasn’t like assassination was something you could actively advertise in the local newspaper, and you supposed the network of people helped maintain a certain level of anonymity. “Big reward usually means lots of trouble” you eyed him suspiciously. “It does. The jobs we’ve been takin’ recently have been boring, dontcha think?” You laughed, “Yes, they have been. How much money are we talking?” 

“Six-thousand”. *

You dropped your fork onto the ground and turned your whole body towards him, mouth agape. He remained silent, and you somehow managed to find your breath “Tha-that’s a lot of cash. Who is the target!? A government official? If we mess this up we’ll be killed!”

“You know aye don’t know tha details yet, we’ll find out from Will tomorrow. And IF we accept the job, aye know ya wouldn’t slip up. Aye trained ya better than that” Mundy looked at you seriously. You studied his face. Over the past few years faint smile lines had formed from his nose to the corners of his mouth, the bags below his blue eyes were slightly darker and his cheek bones slightly more prominent and masculine. He was objectively quite an attractive man. You turned your attention back to the empty plate on your lap. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow then?” you picked up your fork, stood up and began walking with your plate to the caravan. “Ya know aye’d never put ya in a situation aye knew ya couldn’t handle” his voice came behind you, stopping you in your tracks. You sighed “yeah, I know Mundy” you gave him a tired smile over your shoulder and entered the caravan. 

You placed your dishes in the sink with the intention of washing them in the morning and climbed up into bed. Bobo, whose ribbon was tattered and fur was worn and discoloured over the years, was waiting for you atop the pillow next to the window. You snuggled in and clasped the bear close to your chest, only briefly awakening to the feeling of Mundy climbing into bed next to you before once again falling into a deep sleep. 

 

<><><>

 

You hummed along to the rock n’ roll music playing on the radio. The warm wind from the open window was blowing your (h/l) hair all around your face but you didn’t mind it. Mundy absent-mindedly tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the rhythm. Thankfully the meeting point had only been an hour from where you were camping. He pulled the caravan into a parking lot behind the run-down bar where you were set to meet Will. 

The asphalt of the carpark was grey and filled with potholes, it seemed no one had cared for this place in quite some time. The bar seemed to be in no better condition, the maroon paint and rendering of the walls was chipped and completely detached in some places. Weeds had grown up along the cracks of the exposed brick, and the bars covering the windows were rusted, and one bar on the far window was completely removed. You wondered how and why that was. You pushed that thought aside as you both exited the vehicle and made your way to the front door. 

Mundy pushed open the wooden door which had been extensively graffitied on over the years and entered the poorly lit bar with you following behind him. It was the middle of the day and yet the place was dark as though it were night time, lit only by dim artificial LED lights along the ceiling and the prominent pink and blue of a neon light sign which simply read ‘beer’ which adorned the wall next to the bar. The whole place smelt of mould, beer and cigarettes with a slight hint of urine. No wonder this place was empty. 

Mundy had spotted Will and began walking over to one of the worn red leather booths in the far corner. You slid into the booth next to Mundy, so you were both facing Will. He wore a crinkled white button up shirt, the collar had a slight mark from what assumed was the orange sand outside. The top few buttons were left undone, and over the shirt he wore an old black blazer. Will always had a way of looking formally dishevelled, like a used-car salesman. His jet black hair was swept back off his forehead with gel, and his grey eyes studied you with slight suspicion. 

“You lot gonna buy somethin’? This ain’t a bloody meetin’ room” came the gruff voice of the tattooed man behind the bar. Mundy moved to get up, but you stopped him by placing your hand on his muscular forearm. “I’ve got it” you assured him and made your way to the bar. “Uh, could I please get a scotch on ice and a midi of apple cider” you asked politely so as not to get on the volatile man’s bad side. His stare on you lingered as he began making the drinks. You paid and returned to the table, sliding the glass of whiskey to Mundy. He and Will were in the middle of small talk about their lives since they last met, but they quickly dropped that conversation when you arrived. There were more pressing matters at hand. 

“So, six-grand” you stated simply, meeting Will’s cautious gaze with your determined one as you sipped at your drink. He sighed and leaned back into his seat. You were thankful for the generic music playing from the jukebox next to your table, it would make it difficult for anyone to eavesdrop on your conversation. “The client wishes to remain anonymous-” Will began, a client wanting to be anonymous was nothing new and wasn’t exactly unexpected from someone who was flaunting six-grand, “- and all the information we have on the target is this” he slid a photograph towards you. 

It was a candid photo of a man, he seemed to be standing in a busy club with a drink in his hand. His face was clean shaven, exposing his square jaw and cleft chin. His brunette hair was fashionably styled with a crewcut, his eye colour was hard to make out from the photo, but they did appear rather dark. He seemed to be a rather attractive man. “What d’ya mean ‘all the information’? It’s just a bloody photograph” Mundy was visibly annoyed at the lack of information. Will’s eyes darkened, “That’s why it’s an six-grand job. This guy covers his tracks well, he disappears as quickly as he appears”. 

Mundy’s frown deepened, “So the client wants us ta track down this guy using only a photograph. Tell me again why ya thought this job was suitable for us?” Will’s face was deadpan, it was hard to tell what he was thinking right now. “Because you two are the best I know, and you work well as a team. It’d be reckless to send the usual meat-headed brute to kill the guy, because he wouldn’t give them the opportunity to even get close. You both, on the other hand, are extremely skilled in hunting and killing from a distance. You could potentially kill him before he ever knew you existed. And from what I know, it’ll take two of you to take him down” his explanation didn’t offer much, but it set your hair on end. 

Who was this guy, and why did someone want him dead? You leaned forward “and just what do you know, Will? What aren’t you telling us?” He closed his eyes and smirked “as an informant, it’s important that I keep my client’s trust and maintain anonymity when requested. However, I have been working with both of you for a while now and I do want that 15% cut of the reward, so I will tell you this-“ he leaned in closer and whispered “- I heard this guy has ties to Big Shark” he leaned back into his seat. 

Big Shark? The mob boss who began his dealings in his home country of Italy before illegally immigrating here and building himself an underground empire built on drugs and violence? “Tony Ligambi, tha wog crime boss” Mundy quietly stated, confirming your guess. “Woah woah woah” you raised your hands “anything to do with Big Shark is bad news. Killing off one of his potential underlings is definitely going to land us in deep trouble” Will smiled at your statement. He definitely knew more than he was telling you. “I’ve told you everything I can. I’ll give you two a moment to discuss this” and with that he stood up and approached the bar. 

You turned your body so you were facing Mundy. His face didn’t show it, but you knew he was feeling the same as you were. “This is big” you said. He let out a breath and looked into your eyes, “we’ve been doin this for years now”. You balled your hands into fists in your lap, “as I said, if we get caught we’ll have more than jail or a death sentence waiting for us. Messing with the mafia means a slow death if you’re lucky”. “That’s if ya get caught. We’re not just any Jack and Jill off the street, we’re professionals” Mundy calmly stated. You were quiet as you thought about it all, the jobs you had done over the years, the extensive training you went through to get here. Mundy was an extremely capable assassin, but were you? You could both live very comfortably off that money, or it could go into a bank for early retirement. You could buy a big plot of land in the outback, where you could both live quietly and hunt and explore as much as you wished. Will returned with a drink in hand and slid into the booth. “So, decision?” You looked at Mundy who looked at you intently, then quickly back at Will. Your response came almost impulsively. 

“We’ll do it”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *NOTE: $6,000 AUD in 1967 is about $76,000 AUD in today’s economy with inflation and all. I was researching hitman costs in today's climate and this seemed to be on the higher end of the spectrum. Let me know if I've over estimated.


	7. River

The ride out of town was silent. You stared down at the photo in your hands, eyebrows knitted together, and mouth set in a straight line. Had you made the right choice? You knew that if you had said no to the job, Mundy wouldn’t have gotten mad or forced you to do it. But would he have been disappointed in you? He had made it clear that he believed you to be a capable assassin, but was it because he genuinely admired your abilities, or did he think too highly of his own training? 

He noticed the concern on your face. “Talk ta me, (y/n)”. You tore your gaze from the photo and looked at him. He glanced at you briefly, he seemed uptight. “I don’t know if I made the right choice. It’s dangerous” you explained. “There’s neva a ‘right choice’ in assassination. Sometimes ya just gotta go with what ya gut tells ya in the moment and work it out from there. Improvise to make it work in ya favour” he explained. You frowned slightly and looked down at the photo, “what if my gut told me not to do it, and I said no?” “Then we wouldn’t do tha job, and aye wouldn’t think any less of ya” he calmly responded. You knew he was speaking honestly, he never lied to you, but something inside of you still felt uneasy. 

“So, any ideas where to start?” you hoped that Mundy had enough connections to know where to begin, because you sure as hell didn’t. “Aye know a gal that might be able to give us some clues, and she owes me a favour” he said cryptically. “And just who is this ‘gal’?” you raised your eyebrow at him and gave him a smirk. “She’s a private investigator, of sorts. She ain’t with an agency, instead she works solo. Last aye heard she was doin’ a lotta snooping around Big Shark, if anyone’s got a lead it’ll be her” he elaborated. “She sounds like a capable woman” you said with slight admiration. It was uncommon, though not unheard of, to hear of other women involving themselves and profiting off the underbelly of Australia. “Capable’s one way of describin’ it. She has her ways of getting the information she wants” Mundy said distantly, he seemed lost in thought. It seemed neither good nor bad, like he were recalling what shirt he wore two days ago. 

“Where do we find her?” “Her number should be floatin’ in me glove box in front of ya” he nodded his head in its direction. You opened the compartment in front of you and dug around, shuffling a few cassette tapes, pens, and other miscellaneous items before spotting a white business card. You examined it, the card was bent in various places and discoloured with what appeared to be a coffee spill. Written on it in beautifully neat cursive was the name ‘Stella’ followed by a phone number in black ink. “Stella?” you asked. “That’s tha one” he confirmed. You closed the glove box, “there’s a servo not too far from ‘ere, aye’ll use the phone there to give her a call” he clarified. You lost yourself in thought. What kind of person was she? And how did she know Mundy? He’d never mentioned her these past years, why was that? 

 

<><><>

 

You watched Mundy from the passenger seat of the caravan as you absent-mindedly nibbled on an apple you purchased at the servo. You had one leg propped up on the seat and you rested you chin on your knee. You couldn’t hear what he was saying from in here, but you watched his face nonetheless. It seems she answered, as he quickly jerked the phone away from his ear and grimaced, she must’ve been quite loud to garner that reaction. His face was almost comical as his expressions changed during the conversation. He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, then eventually his face became more serious before finally relaxing into a gentle smile. You liked that smile, it was the same smile he would give you when you were having deep conversations in front of a campfire, or when you would bring him a coffee in the middle of the night when he was in the middle of a long job. His smile lines would be more defined, and the corners of his eyes would wrinkle slightly. You wondered what exactly they were saying. 

While lost in thought you hadn’t realised he hung up the phone until you heard the driver’s door open. You rolled down the window and threw away your apple core, “So?” He started the vehicle. “She says she has some information that could help us find the bloke. Said we’ll have ta meet her in a casino down south, ‘bout a day from ‘ere if we take turns driving and if we camp overnight along the way too” he said as he pulled away from the servo. “A casino? You know that means we’ll have to look presentable to fit in, right?” you removed Mundy’s hat from atop his head and placed it beside you. He ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair, brushing down the mess the hat made, “Aye’m well aware, aye’ve already got somethin’ to wear somewhere in me closet. You got something you can wear?” You shook your head. “Ah, well ya can grab something when we get there, there’s a lotta shops around that place”. “Yeah, I’m sure I can pull something together” you agreed. 

 

<><><>

 

You had been travelling all afternoon, twilight had come and gone, and it was now nightfall. Not that you minded the long ride, over the years you and Mundy had travelled all over Australia and you were no stranger to long travel times. Sometime around twilight you had swapped with Mundy and were now driving the caravan along the dirt road that ran through bushland. “So any preferences for camping location?” you asked Mundy. He took his hat off his face, he had been using it to block out the sun and get some rest but neglected to remove it when night came. He surveyed the surrounding land, “Aye believe there’s a river nearby here, so anywhere along this road should do just fine. Aye could do with a clean” you nodded in agreement. You hadn’t washed up properly in a few days, so you were keen to bathe even if it was in some cold river water. 

You pulled over to the side of the road and parked the caravan. “Can aye leave ya to get dinner ready while aye go wash up?” Mundy asked as he exited the vehicle. “Yeah of course, go ahead” he nodded as thanks and retrieved a bar of soap, a towel, and a change of clothes from the caravan and wandered off towards the sound of running water with a torch illuminating his way. 

You rummaged through the cupboards and the small bar fridge in the kitchenette looking for ingredients to inspire tonight’s meal. Having found chicken and various vegetables you decided upon chicken skewers which you would season with honey, garlic and lemon. You gathered the ingredients up into a bag and set them on a rock outside, then proceeded to start the campfire and prepare for dinner. 

The mouth-watering aroma of the skewers cooking over the heat of the fire filled the atmosphere as you began cooking. You hummed nonchalantly as you watched the flames roast the skewers, turning them over every now and then to ensure they didn’t burn. Humming while you did chores had almost become habitual at this point, you found it helped engage you in the task at hand. You had almost lost track of time but realised just as you removed the skewers from the fire that Mundy wasn’t back yet. It was unusual, he didn’t usually take this long to bathe. 

You became mildly concerned and feared for the worst, you weren’t sure if your concern was justified or if you were just unreasonably paranoid because of the job. You covered the food with a tea towel and scanned the area. No signs of movement in the dark bushland. “Hey Mundy! Dinner is ready!” you called out then paused, waiting for a response. 

Nothing but the sounds of the bushland. Your heart began beating hard in your chest, you had to go look for him. What if he hurt himself? Or worse… You shook your head, you didn’t want to think about it. 

You retrieved another torch along with your handgun from the caravan and made your way through the brush and trees. Listening closely, you could hear the distant sound of running water, you followed it with your torch in one hand and your handgun in the other. The noise grew louder and louder as your journey continued. It seems the river was a little further away than you had anticipated, but even still normally Mundy should’ve been back before dinner was ready. As you approached the riverbank you turned off your torch and shoved it into your back pocket, if someone was here to hurt him because of this job you were contracted to do it wouldn’t help for you to be giving away your position to the enemy so easily. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the change in light, but eventually your surroundings were clear enough to continue. You were thankful that it was almost a full moon tonight, so you weren’t walking around in complete darkness.

You quietly pushed past an especially dense part of the bush, you were finally met with the sight of the river. You quickly crouched down behind a tree and surveyed the area. You spotted his towel hanging from a tree a few metres up the riverbank first, then shifted your gaze to the water- 

Your hand quickly jumped to cover your mouth as you stifled your gasp. 

Standing there, waist-deep in the water was Mundy. The pale moonlight reflected off the black water making it glimmer, his hair was wet and slicked back off his forehead, and the remnants of a fading blush dusted his cheeks. He busied himself with the bar of soap he was dragging across the lean muscles of his chest. Your cheeks felt like fire and your head felt light. In this moment, things were almost surreal. The way his muscles rippled under his tanned skin as his body moved was mesmerising. You had seen him shirtless before, but this was somehow different. Your eyes followed the trail of hair that ran from his chest down below his navel, past his well defined adonis belt, and into the water. The heat from your cheeks had spread to your chest, and your heart was racing in a peculiar way. Five o’clock shadow, hair of his lean muscular forearms and chest, scars scattered over his body, high cheek bones, strong veined hands. You felt like you were drowning in the sight of him. 

You tore your eyes away from the scene in front of you and silently darted back through bushland and to the caravan. 

One hand placed upon the side of the caravan supported your body, the other covered your mouth as you panted, half from running all the way back here and half from the shock of the situation. You had no particular reason to cover your mouth since you no longer needed to be quiet, but the logic of it was the last thing on your mind right now. You stared down at the dirt, eyes wide yet not actually seeing the terrain, instead it felt as if the image of Mundy bathing in that river had engraved itself into your very retinas. 

‘He’s ok, he’s not hurt, I’m not hurt, we’re alive, I just happened to see him bathing, it’s not that big of a deal’ your mind raced. You eventually managed to gather yourself and straighten up, but one thing kept nagging you at the back of your mind. What took him so long? Surely he wasn’t bathing that entire time, otherwise he would’ve been doing the most thorough clean known to man. You shook that thought from your head as you heard footsteps approaching the camp. 

“Sorry aye took a while, aye got a little distracted. Nice night isn’t it?” Mundy’s voice came from behind you. You forced your body to turn until you were stiffly facing him, he was fully clothed holding his towel and old clothes bundled in his arms. “Y-yeah it is” your voice came out shakier than you had intended. “Why’ve ya got ya gun there?” Mundy raised an eyebrow and stared down at your handgun which you had shoved into the waistband of your pants. ‘Shit, I forgot to put it back’ your mind screamed at you. You quickly rummaged your brain for an excuse. “I… thought it would be safer… to keep it near in case someone came for me while you were gone” well it was kind of true. He chuckled “they don’t even know we’re after them, this job’s got ya paranoid, little dingo”. 

He sniffed the air, “dinner smells good”. You somehow found the strength to move and uncover the plate of food, “thanks, it’s uh chicken skewers”. “Looks good, gimme a moment while I pop my stuff down” he responded and made his way into the caravan. 

You released a breath once he was out of sight. 

‘Nothing is different between us. He didn’t even know I saw him. He’s the same person I’ve known for ten years…’

‘So why do I feel like I’m seeing him for the first time?’


	8. Sweet Dreams

Not much was said between yourself and Mundy whilst eating dinner that night. Between him generally not being the talkative type, and you still in slight shock of what you had seen, the atmosphere was thick and heavy with silence. You wondered if he felt it too. 

You snuck a sideways glance at him, he was sliding meat off the skewer with his teeth before eating it. His damp hair reflected the light of the fire, beads of water shined on the strands that they clung to. His slightly unkempt eyebrows were knitted together in thought, and eyes preoccupied with the meal in his hands. His eyes were always so comforting, a gentle blue like the afternoon sky framed by dark skin which was aged with crow’s feet and bags making them look wise and patient. What was he thinking about? Probably the job, you reasoned. It had always been on the back of your mind since you accepted it, surely he felt the same. 

You continued watching Mundy as he ate, captivated with the way his stubbled jaw moved around as he chewed. You didn’t understand why he suddenly held your interest so much. You had known him for so long, even slept in the same bed as him since you were a child. You had always adored Mundy for taking care of you, but in hindsight in the recent months you found the way you felt about him was somehow different. He was still the same person you grew up with, so why did you feel like something had changed? More importantly, why did seeing him in that compromising situation suddenly make everything so much worse for you? 

You were snapped out of your thoughts when his blue eyes met your gaze. He saw you staring, you quickly averted your eyes and instead focussed on the fire, silently praying the heat of your face wasn’t visible to the bushman. After a brief pause he returned his attention to his food, but spoke “what’s on ya mind, little dingo?”

You quickly searched your brain for a response other than the obvious ‘you are on my mind’. “A lot of things” you said half dazed. It wasn’t completely untrue. A large sturdy hand rested itself on your shoulder and squeezed. “Hey, you’ra capable and smart kid. Nothin’ will happen to ya” his voice was deep and smooth, it sent a shiver down your spine. “I’m not just worried about me, you could also get yourself killed” you spoke truthfully. You heard him release a breath as his hand slid off your shoulder. “(y/n)-” your name on his lips made your heart skip a beat “- aye promise aye wont let anythin’ happen to either of us” you looked up and stared directly into his eyes. His face was serious and solemn, but his eyes were determined. You were unable to form words, so you simply nodded at him. One corner of his mouth turned upwards in a half smile and he continued eating. You quietly released a breath and looked down at the half-eaten skewers you forgot you were holding on to. 

 

<><><>

 

Getting to sleep that night was difficult as you struggled to keep your thoughts from jumping between the possible outcomes of the job, and the sight of Mundy earlier that night. However, much to your relief you eventually found yourself dozing off with the soft snores from Mundy lulling you to sleep. 

 

<><><>

 

Your face and chest burned, but not in a painful way. It was more of a tingly/sensitive heat that was not at all unwelcome. The water around you reached your lower ribs as you stood in the lake, but you couldn’t at all feel it. Instead you were entirely fixated on the rough yet gentle touch of Mundy’s calloused hand as he cupped your cheek. Short hot pants escaped your parted lips as you stared up at him. His eyes were loving and relaxed. 

His other hand snaked its way around your waist and rested on the small of your back. He pulled your naked body firmly against his, intensifying the heat between you. You could feel the stiffness of his manhood press against your hip, sending waves of pleasure throughout your body. Your hands reached up to the base of his neck, and you ran your fingers through his damp hair. It felt smooth and silky despite being wet. His hand on your cheek mirrored your action as it moved along to the back of your head, fingers tangling themselves in your hair. He pulled your face towards his and smashed his lips onto yours in a passionate kiss.

The pressure on your lips and the press of his chest against your breasts excited you. You wrapped your arms around his sturdy neck as he released your lips and bent his face into the crook of your neck, sucking and nibbling at your tender flesh. His hands roamed your body, the intensity of his groping making you turn your head up and moan in pleasure. Eventually one hand found its way down to your womanhood which was aching, desperate to be touched. Your thighs were clamped together, urgently trying to relieve the attention your pussy craved. He pushed his fingers between your thighs and ran them along the slickness of your entrance up to your clitoris. His fingers began rubbing circles on it causing a strange pressure to build up in your lower abdomen. Your womanhood throbbed from the attention it was finally receiving. 

“A-ahh~” an especially audible groan passed your open mouth. Small gasps, moans and groans arose from within you uncontrollably as he continued rubbing you harder. “Mundy- ah!” you said his name and he groaned hoarsely, biting your collar bone harder. The pressure in your abdomen kept building to an almost unbearable magnitude. “Mundy! Please don’t stop!” you almost screamed, and he complied eagerly. You were so close, nothing around you mattered, all you could think of was him. 

So close. He pressed harder.

You were going to cum. 

“M-Mundy! I- I’m gonna-“

…

You bolted upright in your bed. 

You sat in silence as your brain slowly began to register your surroundings. 

Your body was covered in a fine layer of sweat, however it did little to cool down the heat that emanated off your skin. As you shuffled slightly you could feel a distinct wetness between your thighs.

‘Oh god’ your heart seemed to drop to your stomach with dread as you realised your situation. ‘Oh GOD’ you quickly brought a hand up to cover your mouth to stifle your gasps. You snapped your head to your side; the bed was empty save for Bobo. You could see the dim morning light as the sun began to rise through the drawn curtains below. It was early, but Mundy did tend to be an early riser. You silently prayed that you hadn’t said anything in your sleep. 

 

<><><>

 

A whimper awoke Mundy from his sleep. He was no stranger to your nightmares, and over the years he had become proficient in comforting you through them without having to wake you. It was still dark outside the window in front of him, with the only light present being that from the moon. He rolled over so he was facing you. Propped up on one arm, he looked down at your form. Your face was flushed, but that wasn’t unusual for you and your nightmares. Just as he began to raise his free hand to stroke your hair he was stopped dead by the noise that exited your mouth. It wasn’t your typical cry or whimper, this one was more of a… moan? 

Your soft pink lips were parted slightly, your eyebrows knitted together as your cheeks reddened. You looked almost uncomfortable. Uncomfortable was one way of describing it. “Ahh…” you moaned softly, between faint gasps. Your hands were balled into fists, and your body shuffled around. It seemed at some point you had kicked the blanket off yourself, so you lay exposed in your pyjamas before him.

Mundy felt like a statue, unable to proceed with his initial actions, but also unable to turn away and go back to sleep. He remained propped up on his elbow watching your movements. He could feel his face warm at the sight before him. You were having a… dream. One of those dreams. He was no stranger to them in his teenage years, but it was an uncommon occurrence for him at this age. His eyes scanned your figure, only noticing now that the white oversized shirt you wore as pyjamas had risen above your waste, exposing your cute pink frilly underwear to him. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, but it remained. 

He was seconds away from turning away and trying to go back to sleep when your voice came again, “Mundy~”. That one word threw his brain into spirals and his body stiffened. The way you said his name right now, he had never heard you say it like that. So needing, so sweet, so sexual. The mere sound of his name coming from your mouth like that was enough to send blood running down to his groin. You slowly rubbed your thighs together as your soft moaning continued, the peaks of your hardened nipples visible through your shirt. “M-Mundy~!” you gasped. 

Reality seemed to hit him like a truck as he quickly climbed around you and out of bed, being careful not to awaken you. He grabbed a shirt he had discarded on the table and his packet of cigarettes as he exited the caravan. 

‘This isn’t good. This is the opposite of good. This is bad” he violently reasoned with him as the cool morning air hit his warm skin. “She’s justa kid. But-no she’s not a kid anymore. She’s a young woman. But-“ he fought with himself as he tried to argue away the hardness in his pants. He lit a cigarette and took a long drag. ‘Aye’m nearly old enough ta be her dad. She’s grown up unda my care. She’s probably just confused. Yeah, she’s not interested in me like that. She’s just havin’ a weird dream’ Mundy’s thoughts raced as he paced about. 

But what about him? He definitely didn’t hate the way you moaned his name, and it certainly got a reaction from him. You were a cute kid, then you grew up to be a beautiful woman. When did that happen? You were nineteen now, you weren’t a child anymore. It wasn’t normal for a guy in his mid-thirties to be sleeping in the same bed as a nineteen your old every night, regardless of your nightmares. ‘We can’t keep doin’ this’ he concluded. He had reached the end of his cigarette a while ago now, but he was still on edge so he lit another. 

He thought about your history together. His feelings towards you now were definitely different to his feelings towards you when you were a child. What changed? He sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he was rummaging through his brain for answers, but nothing made sense. He cared for you. He really cared for you. No, the word ‘care’ doesn’t at all describe the magnitude of his feelings for you as of recent. You were probably the only person in the world that understood him and cared for him the way you did. He wasn’t a social person, but the thought of you not being in his life stirred anxiety in his chest. He gave up his pacing and leaned against a tree, casting his gaze to the pastel hues of the sky as the sun rose. 

 

<><><>

 

The cool morning air felt pleasant against your skin as you exited through the back door of the caravan. It didn’t take you long to spot Mundy’s lanky body leaning casually against a tree. He smoked a cigarette and as your eyes met you realised he looked exhausted. Had he caught on to what you were dreaming about? Please no. You began cautiously approaching him. “G-good morning Mundy” you tried to control the pitch of your voice, but it came out shakier than intended. “Monrnin’ little dingo” he responded calmly. If he was upset, his voice didn’t portray it. Maybe he hadn’t figured it out? 

“You look tired” you stated, trying to assess his demeanour. “Yeah aye couldn’t sleep, been out here for a few hours” he lied. ‘A few hours?’ maybe he hadn’t been around for your dream. You hoped that were the case. You nodded your head slowly, both of you unable to look each other in the eye. A moment of silence passed, until Mundy pushed himself from the tree discarding his finished cigarette on the ground and stepping it out in the process. 

“Well, we got some more travilin’ to do so let’s get a move on now that you’re awake” he stated simply as he walked past you. 

“Yeah…” your voice sounded dazed. You hadn’t gotten an answer to the questions in your head, but the general atmosphere between you two felt strained. You weren’t entirely sure if it was just your mind overthinking things.


	9. Stella

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I've been busy with university and work.

The remaining drive to the city was tense to say the least. The air around you felt thick enough to cut with a blade and it filled your lungs with a dull ache. You silently thanked the radio for providing some amount of relief from the silence with its quiet static music. Initially you had struggled to focus your sight on any one particular thing, shifting your gaze nervously around the vehicle. 

Bushland outside the window. Spec of dirt on the window. Side glance at Mundy. Leaf caught in the windshield wiper. Dirt road in front of you. Side glance at Mundy’s rough hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. Back out the window again. Dial of radio, scratched from use. Side glance at Mundy’s stern face, blue eyes focussed on the road ahead. Leaf caught in the windshield wiper again. 

You fought an internal battle to gather your thoughts and stop looking as uncomfortable as you probably did. You were thankful that the bushman didn’t make mention of it, as you were sure he caught you glance at him at least once. 

It took some time but eventually you managed to lose yourself in your thoughts, your head rested against the glass of the window, empty gaze looking out but not actually registering the sights in front of you. You felt different towards Mundy, that much you had come to accept. What exactly you felt was another story entirely. You had caught yourself over time noticing various trivial habits and characteristics he possessed, things that someone wouldn’t normally notice. Like the way he would gently bite the inside of his lower lip when he was taking aim with his rifle, or the way his eyebrows would relax from their usual slight frown as you would make idle conversation while watching a campfire, or the pleasantly rough and warm feeling of his hands on the odd occasion you would get to feel them on your skin. You really enjoyed those moments.

You weren’t like this with anyone else. Noticing stuff like this, to this extent, it wasn’t normal for you. Not with strangers, and not with your parents. Sure, you knew your parents and their habits well enough, but the things you noticed about Mundy were somehow much more carnal. They held a special place in your thoughts, as though something so small and insignificant were of intrinsic value. 

Did he notice small things about you too? Maybe he did. Maybe it was just because you had lived together for 10 years. Did his thoughts make him feel the same way as you though? And if so, how would you ever know? You didn’t want to just ask him, scared of making things more awkward than they already been. What if he said no? What if he just felt indifferent about you? What about Stella, what did he feel about her? Wait, why does all this matter so much to you? 

“Whatcha got on ya mind, dreamer?” Mundy’s voice broke you out of your internal struggle. ‘Dreamer? Please don’t tell me he’s referring to…’ you looked over at him, “dreamer?” you questioned with a puzzled expression. His eyebrow quirked ever so slightly “Daydreamer, ya’ve had a blank stare for a while now. Figured you were thinking about somethin’ important” he explained. Your shoulders relaxed from their tense position, relieved that he wasn’t referring to your dream last night. “Nope, nothing too exciting. Just thinking about the casino and what I’m going to wear” you lied. 

“How far off are we?” you were eager to stretch your legs and escape the confines of this situation. “Not long now, should be there mid-afternoon” he responded, and with that you went back to sitting in silence. 

 

<><><>

 

You felt out of place in the large city, wearing your usual casual clothes which focussed more on functionality that aesthetics, a stark contrast to the extravagant attire that all city-folk seemed to possess. They reminded you of tropical birds, women dressing themselves up in colourful clothing, hair carefully styled and maintained, jewellery shining on various places of their bodies. Men on the other hand puffed themselves up, as if they were trying to appear larger with squared shoulders and tailored suits. All in the hopes of appearing more physically appealing to those around them, it was certainly an interesting sight. 

Mundy was right about the shopping, there were various boutiques and stores selling clothing, jewellery, and the likes. You were at no shortage for clothing options for tonight. Mundy had left you to shop on your own, usually you’d be somewhat disappointed to not have his company, however under the given circumstances you welcomed the alone time. 

You found yourself wandering in and out of a couple boutiques, not entirely captured by any particular dress when you eventually stumbled across a simple yet beautiful black dress displayed on a mannequin in a shop window. As you entered the boutique the scent of expensive perfume invaded your nose, the place was spotless and chique which only made you feel even more awkward. 

You dismissed your discomfort and made your way to the shop assistant that was too busy fussing over a rack of clothes to notice you. “Excuse me” your voice visibly startled her and she quickly turned her attention to you. She seemed to be in her late 30’s, everything about her was just as pristine as the shop. Her bright red lipstick flawlessly accentuating her thin lips, hair neatly styled without a grey hair in sight, pants and jacket wrinkle-free, she looked like a model. “Yes? Can I help you?” her voice was abrupt as her eyes briefly looked you up and down judgementally. ‘Too bad her personality doesn’t seem as beautiful as her appearance’ you thought to yourself. “That black dress in the window, I would like to try it on please” you spoke politely yet confidently to show her you were not intimidated by her attitude. She quirked an eyebrow at you, “that dress is $25*, if you can’t afford it you can’t try it on” she said with the same tone she greeted you with. You clenched you jaw at her blatant rudeness, but after a deep breath you reached into your pocket and pulled out a wad of banknotes and held them up to her. You looked directly into her now widened eyes “I can afford it. Size _ please” you responded curtly. “Y-yes ma’am” she quickly turned away to retrieve the dress for you. 

You returned the money to your pocket and she handed you the dress and led you to the changing room. “If there’s anything you need please let me know” she stated, you didn’t bother to respond. If it weren’t for the fact that boutique employees in this area would probably treat you the same way this one did, you’d have left this store and gone elsewhere. 

You slipped into the dress, which thankfully fit perfectly, and looked at your reflection in the floor length mirror. The dress was backless and showed the skin from your neck down to your waist. The sleeves were long and made of black lace so you could slightly see your skin through it, while the dress itself was a plain black material which reached to just above your knee. It was form fitting and elegant, you had never owned such a beautiful dress before. It was very flattering for your shape. 

The dress was expensive but given your career you had the money and you figured you’d treat yourself. Along with the dress, you purchased some simple black heels, a silver necklace and earrings, a black clutch and some basic makeup to complete the look. The sun was beginning to set in the sky, and you were now ready for the casino. Shopping bag in hand, you made you way back to Mundy and the caravan. 

 

<><><>

 

The caravan was still where you had last seen it, parked in the far back corner of the parking lot behind the casino looking just as out of place as yourself and Mundy in the stylish city. You knocked on the door and announced your presence “hey Mundy, it’s (y/n). Can I come in?” you asked, unsure of whether or not he was still in the process of dressing. You heard his voice thought the metal door “yeah, ya can come in”, and with that you entered. 

He was bent over, looking into a small mirror you had set up on the kitchen bench smoothing his hair so it was slicked back and tidy. You nearly dropped your shopping bag as he straightened up and turned to face you. His face was free of his signature aviators and he wore clean black slacks, with shiny black leather dress shoes. His white button up shirt was ironed, something he rarely did with his clothes, and clung slightly around his biceps. The sleeves were folded up so his forearms were showing in a rather casual manner, and around his neck was a crooked black tie. On top of this, he wore a black sleeveless vest with black buttons. He looked rather dashing. 

You realised you hadn’t said anything yet and that you must’ve looked like a fish with your mouth agape and eyes staring. “Y-you look great” you stammered. You could feel your cheeks heating up from the embarrassment and attraction. He looked off to the side and scratched the back of his neck, he was always awkward when receiving compliments, “thanks…”. “Except-“ you added as you approached him. You reached for his tie and straightened it up, “for this”. Standing this close you could smell the cologne he was wearing. It was a pleasantly masculine sandalwood and some clean scents you couldn’t quite put your finger on. You smiled up at him and stood back to admire your handiwork. 

There was a slight blush on his face, which you concluded must’ve been due to the embarrassment of receiving a compliment. Nothing else. “Thanks. Looks like ya found somethin’ to wear, I’ll leave ya to it then” he said as he quickly walked past you and out the caravan, closing the door behind him. 

You let out a breath as the tension in your body subsided and put on the clothes from your bag. You opened the closet beside the kitchenette to reveal a floor length mirror on the inside of the door and examined yourself. The shoes and jewellery you had chosen looked great with the outfit, and you were beginning to feel more confident. You had never had much practice with makeup as you rarely had a reason to wear it, so you decided to stick with bright red lipstick, a light blush, and some mascara. It wasn’t much, but it made a difference. You felt very mature. Finally, you combed your hair and left it down, having neither the time nor will to attempt an updo. After one final look at yourself in the mirror you closed the closet and put some money and the lipstick into the black clutch before exiting the caravan. 

There was Mundy, leaning casually against the side, smoking a cigarette and looking off into the distance of the dark parking lot. You cleared your throat and he quickly looked up at you. His face changed from casual nonchalance to surprise as he straightened up. His eyebrows raised, brilliant blue eyes scanning you up and down repeatedly, mouth slightly agape almost losing the cigarette held between his lips. “(y/n)...” he said your name as though that were all he could manage. ‘I guess he’s never seen me dressed this elegantly, must be a shock’ you thought to yourself. 

‘She looks so beautiful… No, she’s always been a beautiful woman. But now she’s stunning’ Mundy thought to himself. He took in your form, the way the dress clung to your figure showing off your beautiful silhouette. The heels which accentuated your toned legs. Your dainty hands clasping the black clutch in front of you. Beautiful lips pronounced with colour. And your eyes. Your captivating eyes framed by dark lashes. Did you have any idea what you were doing to him right now? He tore his eyes away from you, silently scolding himself for being so blatant about his staring. “You clean up well” he mumbled, trying his hardest not to sound as affected as he was.

Your feelings were torn between delight at his compliment and the bitter disappointment of his refusal to react more. What had you expected? For him to bound over to you and pull you into his strong arms? You felt a brief wave of embarrassment at the expectations you didn’t realise you held. You pushed those thoughts and feelings away, you were here on business. “We should get going” you stated simply. He met your gaze once again, blue eyes with traces of something indiscernible deep within them. “… yeah, time ta work” his face hardened as he began walking toward the tall bright building with you trailing close behind him. 

Inside the casino felt like another world entirely. The multicoloured flashing lights of the slot machines against the brightly lit room assaulted your eyes. The building was noisy with the chatter of its guests, a variety of upper-class men and women dressed in expensive-looking dresses and suits, as well as the projected voices of confident card dealers from various surrounding tables. Crimson carpets, black walls, Simonis green felt on mahogany game tables, gold accents, fake plants. This setting was the epitome of the word ‘grand’. You felt a sudden yet brief surge of dizziness from the sensory overload.

“Hey” Mundy’s voice grounded you. You turned to him and were greeted with his outstretched elbow beckoning you to link arms. His eyebrows were raised creating a few forehead wrinkles as he gave you a knowing look. He must’ve noticed your dizziness. You gratefully accepted his gesture and slid your arm through his, he was warm but in a familiar and comforting sort of way. With nothing more said, you both began to roam the casino, Mundy scanning the area for a familiar face. 

You arrived at a bar that ran along one wall of the casino, bottles of various shapes and sizes lined the wall and the bar itself had the same gold trim that accented the casino. Mundy released your arm and ordered some drinks, you had both gone to the effort of dressing up so he figured you might as well get something out of it since you were here anyway. Not to mention it helped mask the real reason you were visiting this place. By the time his scotch on ice and your wine had arrived he had located Stella sitting on a black leather couch next to a large window in a quieter corner of the busy casino. 

“That’s her, next to tha window” Mundy whispered quietly to the rim of his glass before taking a sip. You had a drink of your wine, it’s sweet alcoholic intensity engulfing your tastebuds, then casually cast your eyes to the woman sitting near the window. Her shoulder-length hair was fiery orange and held in perfect waves, her skin was pale in contrast to the brilliance of her hair. She wore a plain navy blue dress which hugged her slender figure and around her neck was an extravagant gold bib necklace with shining stones. She was gorgeous. You both began walking over to her, and it was then that her gaze caught your stare. Her eyes were like amber jewels, large and almond shaped. They gave off a confident aura that made you shiver internally. 

“Stella” Mundy’s voice grabbed her attention, the corner of her thin lips quirked up into a smirk as she rose from her seat. Her hand rose from her side, her fingers adorned with various expensive-looking rings, Mundy gently held it and placed a quick kiss on top of it. He knew how to be a gentleman when he had to. You felt a sharp pang of jealousy but ignored it. “Mundy” Stella’s voice was as smooth as strawberries and cream. “’s been a while” Mundy let go of her hand. “And just who is this pretty little thing?” she asked as she ran a hand along your cheek, down to your chin before gently tilting your head up to look directly into her eyes. She was taller than you, but only by a little bit. Her eyes were curious but held no malice. “Stella, this is (y/n). aye’ve been trainin’ her to work with me for some time” Mundy explained as she released your chin. 

She didn’t know who you were? Mundy mustn’t have mentioned you. Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen her for over 10 years? That’s a long time, and they seem pretty relaxed with each other. Had he seen her in the past 10 years? And if so, why hadn’t he mentioned you at all? You sat next to Mundy on the couch across from Stella, its plush surface providing little comfort in this strange situation. 

“You’ve aged well, Mundy. It comes as a surprise considering all the caffeine and cigarettes, I thought your bags would be much more pronounced” Stella smirked over the rim of her wineglass. Mundy let out a cynical chuckle “Aye could say tha same for you, ya don’t look thirty-“ “It’s rude to state a lady’s age” Stella quickly interjected before Mundy could reveal her age completely. He raised a hand in defence “sorry” he quickly apologised, a small smile still gracing his features. Stella turned her attention to you, “Though I am quite curious just how old you are, (y/n). Mundy said he had been training you for some time now, but you appear rather youthful” she eyed you through thick lashes. “I’m nineteen, I’ve been with Mundy for just over ten years now” you responded, a slight blush forming on you face from the nervousness that came with being questioned. Her brows knitted together as she cocked her head to the side, “ten years? So what, you were nine when he started training you?” he tone was even, but conveyed underlying shock. She looked over to Mundy for answers. He sighed, “aye found ‘er on a job, parents were killed. She showed interest in snipin’ so aye took her unda my wing” her explained matter-of-factly. She nodded slowly but said no more. 

There was a pause, your curiosity got the better of you and so you took the opportunity to ask about her and Mundy. “So, you heard my story. How did you two meet?” Stella was slightly taken aback by your question, since you had been rather shy up until now. Mundy continued drinking his drink as Stella took the liberty to answer. “I’ve known Mundy since I was a kid, we used to live near each other” she began explaining. You nodded attentively, that must be why they’re so casual around each other after all this time. ‘Still, if she was such an important friend why hadn’t he mentioned her up until now?’ you wondered. 

“I guess you could even call us childhood sweethearts” she smirked at Mundy teasingly, he rolled his eyes in response. Your heart sank. “Sweethearts?” you questioned. Mundy was first to answer this, “yeah, we dated for a while when we were younger… But we drifted apart when our careers pulled us in different directions, so we split”. So they dated? It wasn’t a bad break up by the sounds of it, so did they still have feelings for each other? You felt sick. “Split, and moved on to bigger and better things” Stella added cocking an eyebrow and smirking at Mundy. He rolled his eyes. 

The drink in your hand felt heavy and you struggled to hold it without looking awkward. You couldn’t look at Mundy right now, so you kept switching your gaze between Stella and the window. As if sensing your discomfort, Mundy changed the topic, “onto business. Ya still owe me that favour for helpin’ you out with those men” he began. “I haven’t forgotten” she granted. Mundy pulled the photo of the target from his vest pocket and placed it on the table in front of her, she leaned forward and studied it then leaned back with a gleam in her eye, arms relaxed along the top of the couch either side of her. “This is a big job” she stated. “It is” Mundy responded seriously. “Tell us what you know about him” he added. Stella took a sip of her drink, then began speaking. 

“Not much is known about him personally, he goes by the alias ‘Death Adder’ because he’s good at hiding in plain sight and he’s deadly, like the snake” she explained. “Deadly? How so?” you interjected. You knew this was a dangerous job, but you had attributed most of it to the target’s involvement with the mafia and less with the target himself being a threat. “Like you, he is an assassin. Though he prefers to kill in close quarters with handguns, knives, rope, whatever gets the job done really. He’s good at improvising” she leaned forward and looked at Mundy. “While a battle between assassins does intrigue me, do try not to get yourselves killed. You’re most skilled at attacking from a distance, use that to you advantage and kill him before he sees you” her face was the most serious you had seen it all night. “Huntin’s what we’re good at, Stella” Mundy confidently stated. “Don’t underestimate him. It could cost you your life. Both of your lives”. Mundy stiffened at the final sentence. 

“Do you know where we could find him?” he asked. She nodded and leaned back into her chair, “you’re lucky you came to me, there aren’t many people alive that know what I know about Big Shark”. “Sounds like you’ve been gettin’ yourself tied up in some dangerous business, mate” Mundy eyed her suspiciously. She cocked her head to the side “wouldn’t you like to know…” she straightened and continued “Death Adder has one hell of an ego, thinks he could run the mob better than Big Shark himself. He’s spent years being the lapdog of Big, so he knows the inner workings of the empire he built. He’s been making arrangements to take out Big, leading a small group of disgruntled gangsters to try overthrow everything” then it dawned on you. “That means, if anyone wants him dead then it must be-“ you began and Stella nodded “Big Shark is most likely the one who hired you both, sounds like he caught wind of Death Adder’s plans. I imagine the group would quickly disband following the assassination of their leader” she confirmed. “That’d certainly explain the money…” Mundy mumbled. 

“You’ll be pleased to hear that I know exactly where they will be meeting next” Stella smiled. “Why is it that you know so much about this, Stella?” you asked. Her smile widened, “it’s my job to know” she responded, not really addressing your question. You thought it best not to press the matter any further. “A week from today Death Adder and his group will be gathering in an abandoned warehouse in Brisbane, it’s quite a drive from here, but you’ll definitely be able to make it there with lots of time to spare” she spoke as she flipped the photograph over and began writing an address on the back of it with a pen she retrieved from her handbag. Once she was done she slid the photo back across the table, and Mundy returned it to his vest pocket.

“I believe this information more than repays my debt to you, Mr. Mundy” her expression softened. “It does, thank you Stella” Mundy agreed. “Thank you for the lead Stella” you added politely. With that, she smoothed out her dress as she stood up, “it was my pleasure, both of you stay safe now. I’m interested to hear more about you (y/n)” she winked at you and disappeared into the crowds of people. 

You turned to Mundy “she certainly made this a whole lot easier” you stated, snapping him out of what appeared to be deep thought. He let out a noise of agreement, “but as she said, we shouldn’t underestimate him” he said. You nodded. “Shall we leave? Unless you wanted to gamble?” it had been a long day, and you were more than ready for sleep. “I’m not in the mood for gambling right now, plus it’s not a good idea for us to hang around here” he responded as he stood up and stretched, his white button up shirt displaying the curves of his defined arm and shoulder muscles through the thin fabric. ‘I need to stop getting distracted by stuff like that’ you scolded yourself and stood up from the couch. 

 

<><><>

 

Taking your heels off wasn’t the best feeling in the world, but it was definitely up there. You struggled to understand how women could wear these things every day, you much preferred your boots to these fashionable monstrosities. After removing your dress, jewellery, and makeup and changing into a much more comfortable over-sized pyjama shirt you sat down on the end of the bench in the dining nook of the caravan and let out a long sigh placing one elbow on the table beside you and resting your head lazily on your hand as you used the other to rub your sore foot. You called out to Mundy, informing him that you had finished changing and he entered. You watched him busy himself with undoing his tie and vest, he was so handsomely dishevelled. Your eyes were growing heavy, so you stood up and climbed up into bed. 

You lay there for a moment, expecting Mundy to climb in after you, but nothing happened. You propped yourself up on your elbow and looked down at Mundy who was grabbing a spare blanket out from the closet. “What are you doing?” you questioned, confused by his actions. “Aye’m gonna be sleepin’ in the front from now on” he stated simply, refusing to look at you. “The front? As in on the car seat?” your voice unintentionally raised in pitch. “Yup” his response was short and to the point again, but you demanded he elaborate. “Why? That must be uncomfortable, this bed fits us both just fine” you argued. “(y/n), aye can’t keep sleepin’ in the same bed as you. You’ra full-grown woman now, it ain’t right” you could hear strain in his voice. 

A wave of anxiety washed over you, you had always slept with him. It didn’t mean anything, why is it suddenly different now? Is it because he heard your dream last night? Is it because of the way you dressed tonight? What if you had a nightmare and he wasn’t there to comfort you? “What do you mean ‘it isn’t right’? Nothing we do is ‘right’, we’re assassins damnit! We kill people!” your face was hot and tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. He let out a loud sigh and dropped the blanket onto the table, and looked up at you. His face was stern, mouth set in a straight line. His eyes were a mixture of frustration and hurt. 

“Just because we’re assassins don’t mean we gotta be undignified. Ya gotta draw a line somewhere” he retorted. “Draw the line? What? So you’d rather murder someone than sleep next to me because ‘that’s over the line’?” you could hear the snarkiness in your own voice. You knew deep down that you were taking this too personally, but you were already too upset by everything up until this point to care. You were tired of the awkwardness between you these past few days, you wanted clarification. 

“You know that’s not what I meant!” Mundy dragged his hand down his face in frustration. “Do I though!? Whatever Mundy do what you want, hell maybe go find Stella since you seem to enjoy her company more than mine” tears were streaming down you face as you haphazardly threw his pillow down at him. He quickly caught it before it hit him, and you rolled over to face away from him, sobbing quietly into Bobo. 

You were never the jealous type, but something about him and Stella unhinged you and tugged at your insecurities. You heard Mundy sigh again as he picked up his blanket. “G’night, little dingo” his voice was distant and solemn. The sound of the door opening and shutting announced his absence. 

Now completely alone, still lacking the clarification you craved, you cried yourself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * $25 in the late 1960’s is around $300 in 2019 in Australia.


	10. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload, I've been dealing with some stuff in my personal life and haven't had the time or will to write.   
> Thank you for all your encouraging comments on the previous chapter, it was very motivating.   
> I'm back for now, I hope you enjoy.

You were cruelly torn from your deep sleep by a dull ache resonating within your skull. You sat upright with a groan and ran your fingers through your hair, pulling away strands that were plastered to your face with sweat. The sun was up, but not high enough to be considered afternoon yet. It seems Mundy let you sleep in, not that it helped much since you still felt exhausted. Or maybe it was because he was still angry about last night and he didn’t feel comfortable interacting with you. You felt guilty about how you had spoken to him, you had never quite fought with him like that. Sure, you two occasionally bickered about small things, stuff like that happens when you live with someone, but it was never this serious. The worst part was you only had yourself to blame. 

Having grown up under the care of a man who adamantly avoided talking about “feelings”, as one might put it, you lacked the understanding of how one should handle things like jealousy. Of course you had a vague idea of the concept and that it was not a good trait to have, Mundy had at the very least taught you to be polite and professional. However, handling this kind of jealousy was beyond the realms of your teachings. ‘He must hate me’ you thought as you dropped your face into your cupped hands, the darkness created by them of little relief to your headache. It’s not like he knew the extent of your feelings, he didn’t even really flirt with Stella. They really did just seem like old friends now, but you let your emotions get the better of you and cloud your judgement. ‘What now? Does he still want to do this job with me? Does he still want me to live with him? What if he wants nothing to do with me?’ the last thought dropped to the pit of your stomach like lead and made you shiver with sickness. ‘I need to apologise’ you reasoned. If nothing else, Mundy shouldn’t have had to bear the brunt of your jealous emotions. 

You climbed out of bed and proceeded to exit the caravan, neglecting to change out of your oversized nightshirt or put shoes on. The sunlight was hot on your skin, and you shielded your eyes with your arm as they adjusted to the brightness. You inhaled deeply, preparing yourself for the confrontation and made your way beside the caravan. The driving cabin was empty, as expected. There was no way Mundy would still be asleep at this time. You scanned the surrounding area for him, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Panic swelled up inside of you, making it hard to breathe as your eyes darted around the almost empty car park. Surely he hadn’t just up and left you for good, right? No, he wouldn’t just leave his van and possessions behind. You spun around and stepped back inside the vehicle. Your eyes scanned your surroundings for any signs of where Mundy might have gone, and eventually landed on a piece of paper resting on the table. It appeared to have been torn out of a notebook and folded in half unevenly. You wasted no time grabbing it and revealing its message scrawled across the paper in black pen with Mundy’s signature messy print style. 

Hey little dingo,

You were sleeping like a log so I decided it’d be best to let you sleep in. I noticed last night that I’d forgotten one or two things when I was buying supplies for our job so I had to head out again. I shouldn’t be too long, I just figured I’d leave this in case you woke up before I got back. 

\- Mundy

His letter was short and to the point, as he often was. The anxiety that was tight in your chest slowly subsided and you could finally breathe calmly again. You gently placed the note back on the table and stood in silence, watching the beams of light which shined through the curtain covering the window in front of you. Your gaze strayed absentmindedly and was suddenly captured by the sight of your bullet shell necklace hanging off the shelf above the window. You reached for the item, fingers softly curling around the metal which had been warmed by the sunlight. You stared at the necklace now cupped in your hands in front of your chest. It had become ritual for you to wear this necklace only when you were on a job, you found it helped ground you in a way and keep you focussed on your task. It reminded you not only of how you became what you are, but it also reminded you that Mundy would always have your back. The urge to apologise to him increased at this realisation. 

No more distractions. No more tantrums. You were determined to get this job over with. You placed the necklace around your neck and got dressed. 

 

<><><>

 

You were bent in half preoccupied with tightly tying the laces of your black combat boots when the door to the caravan opened. You turned your head to the side, your (e/c) eyes meeting Mundy’s blue ones beneath the amber tint of his glasses. You both remained still for a moment, like two animals trying to suss out the other’s intentions. Mundy was the first to break out of the paralysis, climbing inside the caravan holding a brown paper bag which you assumed contained some sniper rounds. You jumped up from your seat on the edge of the bench and took one step towards him. 

“Mundy I’m-“  
“(y/n) aye’m-“

Your voice caught in your throat and your eyes widened, you both spoke at the same time. He seemed taken aback by the incident too. “I’m sorry” you were the first to break the silence this time. “’s okay, what were ya gonna say?” he asked. “N-no, that’s what I was going to say. I’m sorry” your face burned with embarrassment, this apology was off to a much more awkward start than anticipated. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you, it wasn’t fair” you added. Mundy’s face softened and he placed a careful hand atop your head. You shuddered under his touch and slowly raised your eyes to meet his once again. “No hard feelin’s little dingo. Aye’m sorry for bein’ harsh” his voice was gentle and soothing. You lost yourself in this moment, savouring the weight of his strong hand on your head, deep soothing tone of his voice and the steady gaze he held your eyes captive with. For just a moment, you forgot your worries and things felt right. 

You were cruelly torn from this moment as Mundy withdrew his hand and turned to place the paper bag on the kitchenette bench. “Aye see you’re dressed and ready to go” Mundy regarded you as he fished in the bag and pulled out boxes of ammunition. “Yeah, ready to get this over with” you said with exasperation. He chuckled, “you and me both, kiddo”. You frowned at the nickname, but you held your tongue. You had only just made up for last night, you weren’t about to start it up again. “Well, we’re still lookin’ at about three days of travellin’ then we got 4 days to prepare, so don’t be gettin’ too far ahead of yaself” he cautioned. “I know, I know. I’m just a little anxious I guess” you responded as you watched him store the ammunition away in one of the kitchenette drawers. 

Your stomach growled loudly at you, and you quickly placed a hand over it in a futile attempt to smother the sound. Mundy stifled a chuckle and turned his head away from you, you playfully frowned at him and proceeded to rummage through the pantry for a snack.

As you searched you wondered just how much information you had given away to Mundy last night. He was back to talking to you like he always did and while you never directly told him you had strong feelings for him, this topic was definitely the underlying context for your outburst. Had he noticed? Or did he think you were just speaking platonically, like a little girl jealous that her father was giving more attention to a friend than her at one point in time? You weren’t sure if it was better or worse if he knew the truth, but you weren’t about to put it to the test. 

“Time to hit tha road” Mundy’s smooth and deep voice pulled your attention back to the task at hand. You grabbed two muesli bars and closed the panty. “Here” you passed one to Mundy, “you need to eat something too” you added. He thanked you and placed it into his vest pocket. 

The drive was more or less uneventful, but you were used to that. Being assassins, both yourself and Mundy were used to the life of travellers and never stayed in one placed longer than necessary. The majority of your time was spent on the road either driving, sitting in the passenger seat, or hanging around the caravan as Mundy drove. You had to learn patience and how to keep yourself preoccupied for long periods of time, whether it be small talk or losing yourself in a book. This time however, the small talk seemed few and far between and instead you opted to drowning your thoughts out with the radio. 

Everything was done and forgiven, but somehow things still didn’t seem completely normal. Well, normal by your standards at least. It was as though there were a thin pane of glass between yourself and Mundy. Not entirely visible and not entirely unbreakable, but you feared that if you attempted to break through one of you would get hurt. 

 

<><><>

 

Though not entirely unexpected, a wave of bitter disappointment surged through you when Mundy once again left the van to sleep in the driving cabin. As you lay in bed staring at the ceiling above, the feeling of loneliness lingered around you like fog on a cold winter morning. Icy and full of dread. You tried comforting yourself with the assurance that Mundy was in fact sleeping in the cabin right beneath you, however it brought little comfort. You pondered on how his tall frame managed to fit in there comfortably, and came to the conclusion that it mustn’t be comfortable at all. 

You wondered how long this would go on for. How long Mundy would put up with sleeping on car seat before he gave in and took back his bed and forced you to find alternative living arrangements. Perhaps he’s waiting until this job is finished and you both have the money to ask you to leave. Anxiety crept up on you like a predator. If Mundy forced you to leave you would be truly alone. You had no friends or family to turn to, sure with the payout from this job you could easily survive, but you’d be truly alone. You brought your knees up to your chest and held them tightly as you drifted off into a restless slumber. 

 

<><><>

 

You were no stranger to nightmares. Sometimes you’d get them multiple nights in a row, sometimes you wouldn’t have one for months. Regardless, a common theme among them always seemed to be that you were completely helpless to stop whatever horror might be tormenting your dreams on any given night. People trying to kill you, contorted beasts chasing you, natural disasters threatening you. Every single time you found yourself too weak to stop it, unable to run fast enough, unable to scream. Mundy always woke you up whenever he noticed you were having a nightmare, but some nights he slept too heavy to notice and you’d either wake up anxious, or in worse cases you’d wake up screaming. Tonight was the latter. 

You bolted upright in your bed drenched in a cold sweat from a nightmare you couldn’t quite remember. Your breathing was heavy and sporadic as you turned to Mundy for comfort only to remember he wasn’t there and you were completely alone in this dark room. You grabbed Bobo and squeezed him to your chest in a vice grip as you struggled to calm yourself. It was a losing battle. 

The squeak of the door opening frightened you in your anxious state, causing you to drop Bobo and scoot backwards until you back slammed against the side of the caravan wall. Your chest rapidly rose and fell with your breathing, and you stared wide-eyed at the figure who had entered, unable to make out who it was in the darkness. 

“(y/n)! What’s wrong? Are ya hurt?” Mundy’s concerned voice calmed you enough to speak. “I-I’m find. Just a nightmare” your voice shook as tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. He relaxed only slightly and began to approach the bed. “Shit… Aye’m sorry that happened” he apologised as he climbed into bed with you. He shuffled himself over until he was sitting next to you and slung a heavy arm around your shoulders. From this proximity you could see his features clearly. His eyes were heavy with fatigue, but still managed to convey concern for your situation. 

“Hey” he gently whispered making your heart skip a beat. You sniffled and buried your face into his bare chest, wrapping your arms around his torso. His chest was soft and warm, it made you feel safe. He sighed and gently stroked your hair. “I’m sorry I woke you” your voice was muffled from your position. “Don’t say that” he responded, his hand stopping for a moment in the tangles of your hair, before continuing to run through it. “I’m sorry I couldn’t wake you before it got this bad” he continued. You squeezed him tighter, his intoxicating masculine musky scent filling your nose. 

“Please don’t go” you hated the sound of your own voice, it sounded pathetic. You could feel Mundy stiffen for a moment as silence fell between you again. You were growing anxious again at his lack of response when he finally spoke, “Aye wont go anywhere, (y/n)”. The sound of your name on his lips sent shivers down your spine. The fact that he used your name instead of ‘little dingo’ made his answer feel so much more intimate and your heart swelled with affection for him. 

After some readjusting, you found yourself curled up into his side as he lay flat on his back with his arm around you. His warmth chased away the lonely feeling that was plaguing your night and you were lulled back to sleep by the sound of his steady breathing.


End file.
